In Chile, Mapuche leader Llaitul sentenced to 23 years

(ANSA) – SANTIAGO, CHILE, 07 MAY – In the context of growing tension due to the danger of new attacks in southern Chile – after last week’s ambush in which three officers died – justice announced today the sentence to 23 years in prison for the leader of the main Mapuche armed resistance group, Hector Llaitul. The head of the Cordinadora Arauco Mallejo (Cam), under preventive arrest since May 2022, was found guilty of five crimes against the State Security Law and was not granted conditional benefits. The judges thus accepted almost all the requests of the prosecution which had asked for a total sentence of 25 years, considering the Mapuche leader implicated in at least 54 violent episodes recorded between 2020 and 2022 in the Araucania region, historically the subject of claims ancestral territorial rights by the Mapuche population. In this context, the authorities have declared a red alert and have put in place strong security measures throughout the so-called ‘southern macrozone’ due to the possibility of new attacks. The government delegate for Araucania, Andrea Parra, announced “the maximum deployment of military forces” while his, General Ricardo Duarte, head of Defense in the region, underlined that the alert “implies an increase in forces, of patrols and controls”. Before the verdict Llaitul had called for “acquittal and justice”. “If they condemn me, the Mapuche conflict will continue to exist,” he said. (HANDLE).