Protests in Chile sour as death toll increases

Protests  in Chile began against public transport fare hikes but have quickly turned into an uprising against President Piñera’s neoliberal policies.

The INDH (Human Rights Association) said to have registered these kind of abuses: “Strip searching, torture, shooting of civilians, physical, verbal abuse, beatings, ‘delays’ in driving detainees to police stations, keeping them in the vans with poor ventilation and overcrowding for hours on end.”

The NGO also published what they believe to be the causes of the 15 deaths in the protests so far.  But that’s not true… Direct sources from the struggler’s In Chile confirm that the deaths are actually up to  42 deaths, 12 raped women, a total 121 people kidnapped and gone missing and over 150 witnesses of torture from the military forces.

There have even been evidence of sexual abuse against arrested protesters. “Two of the complaints are about acts of sexual violence against women in police stations. – said the report – A woman told us she has been put on the floor on top of trash. She was threatened with being shot if she moved and had her body touched with a rifle. She was also threatened with penetration with the gun.”

Another woman, said the report, “denounced being completely undressed by police, forced to squat, insulted and threatened with sexual violence.”

The popular movement against Piñera’s neoliberal government has grown stronger following the beginning of a 48 hours general strike called by the Chilean labor union federation (CUT).

GR is publishing the first of a series of video, pictures and testimonies from Chile

Today we publish the testimony and photos by Mauro Alejandro Castillo Chilean photographer who has sold his bike to buy a camera because “waiting with your arms crossed is not an option”.

The link to his testimony is here

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