2010 Mapuche hunger strike facts for kids
The Mapuche are a large group of Indigenous people who live in southern Chile, in a place called the Araucania. They make up most of the people living there.
After Chile became independent from Spain, the Mapuche lost their land and their say in how they were governed. The government made them live on special areas of land that they couldn't fully own. Because they felt treated unfairly, the Mapuche decided to start a hunger strike. They hoped this would help change the laws about land ownership.
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Why the Hunger Strike Happened
In 2009, Michelle Bachelet, who was the president of Chile at the time, suggested that the government should buy land from private owners. This land would help make up for what the Mapuche had lost. However, the landowners didn't want to sell.
When Sebastian Piñera became president, these landowners worked with the police, called Carabineros, to protect their land. Things became violent when Mapuche protesters set fire to machines and land that belonged to private owners. Because of this, special laws meant for serious crimes were used against the Mapuche activists.
On July 12, 2010, some Mapuche people who were in prison decided to go on a hunger strike. They were protesting against being charged under these special laws. They said that people charged under these laws faced much harder punishments than if they were charged with regular crimes. They could also lose their right to be a citizen and be stopped from getting government jobs for 15 years after leaving prison.
In 2001, the Chilean government had changed its laws to focus more on cases involving theft, damage to land, and setting fires.
The Hunger Strike Begins
A big reason for starting the hunger strike was a woman named Patricia Troncoso. In 2002, she and other Mapuche activists were found guilty of setting a fire that destroyed a large area of pine trees. Troncoso and the others had gone on a hunger strike for 111 days in 2007.
The unfair treatment of the Mapuche people made the activists want to act. They asked for 20 Mapuche activists, who were in a similar situation, to be released from prison. They also wanted the government to change the special laws because they felt they were not fair.
The government said no to many of Patricia Troncoso's requests, only agreeing to make her prison time a bit shorter. When the government decided to call the actions of Mapuche activists "terrorism," many groups, like the International Federation for Human Rights and Amnesty International, disagreed.
More people paid attention on July 12, 2010, when 14 more people joined the strike. For the first two months, many of the activists were held in five different prisons across southern Chile. These prisoners said they were wrongly accused of things like hurting people or setting fires.
Even with this conflict, there was a lot of support from four members of the Congress who were part of the Human Rights Commission. On September 9, 2010, they joined the strikers by fasting on their own time to show their support.
President Sebastian Piñera reacted by suggesting changes to the special laws. He wanted to make the punishments for these charges less severe and stop children and regular citizens from being tried in military courts. However, the protesters said no to his offer. They demanded that all charges against them be dropped completely.
What Happened Between August and October 2010
The hunger strike continued strongly into August 2010. The families of the protesters went to Valparaiso to meet with members of Congress and share the prisoners' complaints. The next day, they met with the Supreme Court Chief Justice, Milton Juica, and other officials.
On October 1, 2010, 24 strikers agreed to end their fast after making a deal with the Piñera government. After this agreement, the government decided to remove the special charges. They also agreed to change the special laws so that smaller actions would be seen as regular crimes instead of serious ones.
On October 8, 2010, ten more strikers also signed the agreement. Their spokesperson said that even though they signed, they didn't feel fully happy with the final agreement. This led to some other participants continuing their fast in the hospital. They hoped the government would make things even more fair. Even after the strike ended, the Mapuche have continued to face challenges under these special laws.
New Strikes in 2011
Because they still felt treated unfairly, four Mapuche prisoners started another hunger strike on March 1, 2011. This strike lasted for 87 days. They did this to protest the law and try to get the government to reduce their prison sentences.
More action against the law happened on October 10, 2011, when about ten thousand people took part in a peaceful march in the capital city, Santiago. They marched to support and raise awareness for the ongoing struggles that Indigenous people have been facing.
What Happened Next
These actions have brought a lot of attention to the Mapuche's situation, but the government has not yet fully committed to their demands. There was a moment of hope on March 13, 2014, when the Chilean government apologized for taking their land many years ago.
Images for kids
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A robot representing the "See also" section.
See also
In Spanish: Huelgas de hambre de comuneros mapuches de 2010 y 2011 para niños
