Mapuches en huelga piden mesa negociadora con el gobierno...
Mapuches on strike asking the government to the negotiating table...
32 Mapuche activists are calling for an annulment of the charges they face for violating the Anti-Terrorism Act.
They have been on a hunger strike since July 12th, a total of 49 days...
They have lost between 8 and 12 kilos.
As Chile is focusing on the 33 miners, little attention has been given to the 32 hunger strikers.
Many of the imprisoned activists were arrested for illegal land occupations or attacks on the equipment or personnel of multinational companies; actions which are considered acts of terrorism under the Pinochet-era Anti-Terrorism Law, No.19.027.
The hunger strike is in direct protest of the law, which allows the state to hold people for up to two years without charges, restricts defense attorneys' access to evidence, and allows testimony from anonymous witnesses.
The Mapuche are an indigenous nation of Southern Chile and Argentina of about 2 million.
Photo taken from La Tercera newspaper.