In this Sunday’s edition of Zero tolerance from CNN Chile the Minister of Social Development, Jeanette Vegaaffirmed that in our country there are political prisoners of the social outbreak and of the conflict between the State and the Mapuche people.
“There are political prisoners, without a doubt, and I can give examples: the boys who are currently in preventive detention since the outbreak, who have even been in prison for two years, if they are not political prisoners, what are they?… Because in practice (…) so far they have not been prosecuted”, was the main statement by Vega in Zero tolerance.
However, hours later he had to go back and declare this time through his Twitter account that “Today there is no room to talk about political prisoners.” “There are people imprisoned for crimes committed in a political context, but that is not the same as there are people imprisoned for their ideas (…) I should have differentiated and avoided misunderstandings,” the Secretary of State wrote.
Also read: “Today there is no room to talk about political prisoners”: Minister of Social Development refutes statement made in Zero Tolerance
This caused Human Rights lawyers, some also in charge of the defense of prisoners of the revolt, to support Jeanette Vega’s original statement, pointing out that her concept of “political prisoners” was correct.
One of them was Fernando Leal, lawyer for victims of human rights violations during the dictatorship and for the prisoner of the outbreak, Felipe Santanasentenced to 7 years in prison for burning a church pew in Puerto Montt.
In this regard, Leal stated that what Vega said was correct and adjusted “to what the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has said, whose rulings are binding for our State.”
Minister, your statements were correct and are consistent with what the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has said, whose rulings are binding for our State, moreover, the background of the case of the 13 First Line that they illegally kept in prison were referred to the ICC— Fernando Leal (@FernandoLealA) May 16, 2022
While, Esteban Arévalo, lawyer for Human Rights and for the prisoners of the revolt in the “Universidad de Concepción” casealso pointed out that the concept of “political prisoners” supported by the minister is “correct.”
Minister. His concept of political prisoners is correct.— Esteban Arevalo Human Rights 🧉 (@ccp_solo) May 16, 2022
And he did the same Coordinator of the Human Rights Chair at the University of Chile, Claudio Nash, who also pointed out to Vega that his original statement was “correct.” “In Chile there are political prisoners. Do not accept being pressured by those who want to deny a painful reality, but which is necessary to recognize in order to overcome it, “added the lawyer in that sense.
Minister @jeanvegamorales you are right. In Chile there are political prisoners. I did not accept being pressured by those who want to deny a painful reality, but which is necessary to recognize in order to overcome it. https://t.co/40yaxqw2z3— Claudio Nash (@cnashr) May 16, 2022
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