News of indigenous rights

Twelve arrests in Villa Mascardi as security forces evict Mapuches

Yesterdat 17:06 Following weekend demonstrations by local residents, 250 members of security forces deployed by authorities in large operation to evict members of the Lafken Winkul Mapu community.

CRIME & SECURITY

Opposition denounces violence in Río Negro as Mapuche conflict escalates

29-09-2022 00:18 Arson, occupation and conflict as hooded Mapuche gang seizes Los Radales lot in Villa Mascardi after fire.

Chile Constitution Vote

Chileans reject overhaul of dictatorship-era constitution

04-09-2022 22:46 The new ultra-progressive constitution proposed by Gabriel Boric’s government has been decisively rejected by the Chilean public this Sunday, in a compulsory vote to choose whether to replace the dictatorship-era constitution.

Chile New Constitution

Chile to vote on overhauling dictatorship-era constitution

02-09-2022 09:30 Chileans will vote on their country’s future Sunday, for the third time in two years, choosing whether to replace Pinochet-era constitution with new one with aims to enact social change.

POLITICS & INDIGENOUS RIGHTS

Volcano goes from ‘sacred’ to secular in 24 hours as Mapuche tensions rise

12-08-2022 10:04 Environment Ministry’s controversial recognition of the Lanín volcano and mountain as ‘sacred’ Mapuche site sparks immediate backlash from Neuquén Governor Omar Gutiérrez and host of opposition leaders, followed by a U-turn the next day; As tensions rise, local indigenous leaders decry “fragility” of government policy.

Chile's New Constitution

Chile President Boric receives draft constitution

04-07-2022 13:22 Chile's constitutional convention on Monday handed its proposed new constitution to President Gabriel Boric ahead of a planned September referendum on adopting the text.

Murder in the Amazon

Fish trade's murky waters cloud double murder in Amazon

22-06-2022 11:16 The pirarucú is one impressive fish – but what has it got to do with the murder of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira?

Indigenous Rights

Military redeployment turns Chile's Mapuche areas into powder keg

27-05-2022 14:51 With military troops once again patrolling their ancestral lands, members of the Mapuche indigenous community in Chile's south are angry.

Indigenous rights

Chile redeploys Army to southern region amid Mapuche tensions

17-05-2022 14:13 Chilean President Gabriel Boric's government decrees re-militarisation of troubled southern region of La Araucanía, in the face of mounting violence linked to territorial claims by Mapuche indigenous groups.

COURTS & HUMAN RIGHTS

Landmark Napalpí Massacre trial begins, 98 years after indigenous killings

20-04-2022 16:00 Nearly a century on from the 1924 Napalpí Massacre, in which more than 300 people were killed, a legal milestone is reached in a court in Resistencia, Chaco Province.

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Brazil's Lula slams Bolsonaro over indigenous policies

12-04-2022 19:35 Speaking at a protest by thousands of indigenous people who are camping out in Brasilia to protest Bolsonaro's policies, Lula drew loud cheers with a promise to undo current President Jair Bolsonaro's policies on indigenous people if elected.

ENVIRONMENT

Gabriel Boric wants to lead a green revolution

11-03-2022 09:33 A new generation of leaders in commodity-rich Latin America sees climate change and its link to inequality as the new political fault line, including Chile's new president Gabriel Boric.

And that reminds me

Keeping up with the Jones Hualas

22-10-2021 22:09 Jones Huala is the wrong poster boy for the indigenous cause but that should not disqualify this extremely fundamental and sensitive issue.

by Michael Soltys

UNREST IN CHILE

Chile president declares 'state of exception' over Mapuche conflict

13-10-2021 09:11 Sebastián Piñera declares a state of emergency and deploys troops to two southern regions, after clashes break out between Mapuche protesters and security forces.

CHILE'S NEW CONSTITUION

Mix of hope, scepticism among Mapuche as Chile rewrites constitution

12-10-2021 14:57 Chile's Constitutional Convention had already begun to draft a new constitution, but Mapuche leaders doubt that it will resolve the community's historic demands for land and self-determination.

ENVIRONMENT

Another deadly year for Latin America's environment defenders

13-09-2021 14:01 A record 227 people were killed worldwide in 2020 for their defence of nature – more than four a week on average, and almost three-quarters of them in Latin America, said environmental rights organisation Global Witness.

ENVIRONMENT

Death stalks Colombian defenders of nature

13-09-2021 13:52 Global Witness NGO says Colombia was the most dangerous country for land and environment defenders for the second year in a row in 2020, accounting for 65 of the 227 killings reported worldwide.

ENVIRONMENT

The battle for Brazil's indigenous land hots up

13-07-2021 14:57 Brazil's indigenous peoples are bracing for a legal battle with President Jair's Bolsonaro's government over controversial legislation.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Ex-Peru president Fujimori faces trial over 'forced sterilisations'

01-03-2021 21:55 An estimated 270,000 Peruvians were subjected to surgery to have their fallopian tubes tied as part of a family planning programme instigated during Alberto Fujimori's final four years in power.

LGBTQ+ Rights

Colombian village offers hope for indigenous gay men

18-12-2020 17:02 The Colombian indigenous community of Nazareth's leaders said they have halted cruel anti-gay punishments in recent decades and offered a measure of refuge, but with caveats for about 20 gay residents.