Mapuche Press Release on the Forced Disappearance of Santiago Maldonado
On August 1, 2017, Santiago Maldonado, a 28-year-old ally who was supporting a land claim in the community Pu Lof en Resistencia, in the province of Chubut, Argentina, has been forcefully disappeared during a violent repression by the Argentine National Gendarmerie. The Argentine state has a long history of “disappearing” people as a mechanism to suppress political opposition. During the event, in addition, authorities of the national security ministry were present. The UN Committee against Enforced Disappearances demanded an “Urgent Action” by the Argentine state to search for and locate Santiago Maldonado and to identify those responsible for his disappearance.
1) Please consider disseminating the following press release from 7 Mapuche communities from Chubut and Santa Cruz provinces that demand the return, alive (aparición con vida), of Santiago Maldonado.
2) Please consider joining the Urgent Actions by the Argentine Organization Centre for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) and Amnesty International US.
Press Release
Mapuche-Tehuelche Communities
Puelmapu (Mapuche Territory), August 11th, 2017
We, the Mapuche-Tehuelche Communities of: VUELTA DEL RIO (Cushamen), SANTA ROSA LELEKE (Cushamen), LOF CAYUN (Lago Puelo), LOF CAÑIO (Buenos Aires Chico), LOF ÑIRIPIL (Buenos Aires Chico), ÑAMKULAWEN LOF (Comodoro Rivadavia), NEWEN MULFUÑ (Pico Truncado), CALFU NAO (Trelew) [Provinces of Chubut and Santa Cruz, Argentina] stand in solidarity with the family members of Santiago Maldonado and demand his return, alive, to all political authorities, judicial forces, and the repressive forces responsible for the escalation of the conflict. Santiago Maldonado disappeared during the Argentine National Gendarmerie violent repression to the Mapuche community [note of transl.: the forces entered homes and burned houses and belongings].
We the Mapuche-Tehuelche communities condemn the Argentine state repression to the Mapuche Nation, the criminalization of social protest, and the government’s lack of respect for life. We are aware that this kind of episode could happen again and that none of us is –and never was- exempt from suffering state authoritarianism and arbitrariness. We ask: What are the selfish interests behind the disappearance of an individual? In whose name and under what justification, should we as Indigenous people, have to accept the denial and infringement of our right to defend our lives and our territories and our subsistence?
Since the time of our ancestors we have been resisting in order to survive, and have been resisting the State –and private sectors’– deception, the manipulation, and the instigation. Prosecutions are part of the history of our collective life. Our papay; lonko; pillan kosher; Kui-fike heyem (ancestral authorities) have been subjugated and since then, there has been pressure to take away any possibility for self-determination of our communal lives. History reminds us we are the results of the state’s genocide conducted against us, our memory reminds us how we survived, and how we are still alive. Because this happened to us in the past, we are today with Santiago’s family, we stand with them and in solidarity with them.
We, the Mapuche-Tehuelche communities, will not forget the silencing, misinformation, negligence, fear, the affront to life, and lies [note of transl.: that result from the history of colonial relations]. This event is another proof of the state authorities’ failure in addressing the specificity of the situations that indigenous communities confront. This is another result of the historical lack of policies warrantying the access to land and territory, municipal, provincial, and national authorities lack of dialogue, and the lack of education among functionaries, and state officials that the state designates to deal with indigenous issues. It is also the result of a lack of understanding of the historical debt by the State towards First Nations. This debt has to be repaired with dialogue, equality, respect and State self-critique, and not with violence, repression, instigation, and discrimination. This disappearance is also the result of the negligence of state institutions such as the National Institute of Indigenous Affairs (INAI), as well as the Autonomous Institute of Colonization and Rural Development (IAC) and the Division of Indigenous affairs both of the province of Chubut, which play no role in implementing Constitutional, and International rights. This is also the result of the larger society’s incapacity and lack of will to revise our collective history. Instead, many sectors prefer to disqualify, misrepresent, and insult us.
We stand defending the life of all and denouncing the injustices to which we are all exposed:
We the Mapuche Communities say that we “Have always been, are and will be in our territories and we defend a dignified life in them.” We demand the return, alive, of Santiago Maldonado.
Marichi weu,
Marichi weu,
Marichi weu,
Marichi weu
(1000 times we are alive and 1000 times we will overcome)
The following Organizations adhere to, and support the communication:
Cátedra Abierta de Pueblos Originarios: Memoria y Recuperación – Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB) – Trelew.
Colectivo Radio Comunitaria PETU MONGELEIÑ – El Maiten.
Comunidad de Radio Sudaca, FM Comunitaria y Revista Sudacas – Trelew.
Asamblea Comarcal contra el Saqueo.
Unión de Asambleas Ciudadanas (UAC) – Trelew.
Grupo de Investigación en Interculturalidad y Educación del Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche – Universidad Nacional del Comahue.
Grupo de Estudios sobre Memorias Alterizadas y Subordinadas (GEMAS) – Universidad Nacional de Río Negro (UNRN), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB).
Grupo de Estudios sobre Subalternidades en la Patagonia Austral (GESPA) – Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral, Unidad Académica Río Gallegos (UNPA-UARG).
Cátedra Abierta de Comunicación Comunitaria – Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB) – Trelew.
Cátedra Abierta de Estudios Urbanos y Territoriales – Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB) – Trelew.
Cátedra Libre de Pueblos Originarios – Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB) – Comodoro Rivadavia.
Red de Investigadores sobre Genocidio y Política Indígena.
Sección Etnología del Instituto de Ciencias Antropológicas (ICA) de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA).
Grupo de Apoyo Jurídico por el Acceso a la Tierra (GAJAT), Patagonia.
Comisión Contra la Impunidad y por la Justicia del Chubut.
Asociación de Trabajadores de la Educación del Chubut (ATECH)
Central de trabajadores de Argentina (CTA) – Chubut.
Asociación Docentes Universitarios (ADU) – Sede Trelew.
Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria de Alimentación (STIA) Chubut.
Unión Obrera Ladrillera de la República Argentina, Delegación Chubut.
Multisectorial del Valle del Río Chubut.
Agrupación Patria Siempre – Rawson.
Movimiento Socialista de los Trabajadores (MST).
Partido MAPU – Chubut.
Movimiento Ecuménico Derechos Humanos (MEDH) – Regional Trelew.
Movimiento Territorial 28 de Agosto –Trelew.
Nuevo Encuentro Chubut.
URGENT ACTIONS
CELS – Santiago Maldonado’s Disappearance in Argentina: The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances demands urgent state action
Amnesty International US:
URGENT ACTION — FORCED DISAPPEARANCE IN MAPUCHE COMMUNITY National Security Forces violently repressed the Mapuche community Pu Lof en Resistencia,
in Chubut, Argentina, and a 28 -year-old man was forcibly disappeared.
https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/uaa19117.pdf
FURTHER READING
1) The New York Times: Thousands of Argentines March to Demand Answers on Missing Protester https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/08/11/world/americas/11reuters-argentina-rights-missing.html
2) The Washington Post: Argentina Rights Groups Demand Info On Missing Activist
3) The Guardian Argentina: Activist Missing After Indigenous People Evicted from Benetton Land
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/08/argentina-santiago-maldonado-benetton-missing-activist
4) For updates please check CELS twitter: https://twitter.com/CELS_Argentina
