Assurances from the Chilean government that 20 of the indigenous hunger-striking political prisoners would not be tried by a military tribunal have been termed "a weak compromise" by the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP). "There are no plans to abolish military jurisdiction over civilians, nor have the other important demands of the Mapuche been addressed, such as the long overdue abolition of the infamous anti-terrorism law," criticized Yvonne Bangert, head of the Indigenous Peoples section of the STP, on Tuesday in Göttingen. This law, which was established under the Pinochet dictatorship, was exploited to charge the Mapuche in land rights disputes. A typical charge – even after the compromise was agreed to by government and church – is "terrorist arson," brought when Mapuches set fire to hay bales, lumberjacks' cabins, or stacks of wood. The law also permits testimony from anonymous witnesses. For this reason, fourteen Mapuche imprisoned in Chol Chol, Temuco and Angol continue to refuse nourishment.

After 82 days, twenty of the 34 indigenous prisoners gave up their hunger strikes. The charges will now be brought against them in civil rather than military court. The government accepted the compromise after labor union leaders, student union representatives, politicians, artists and writers expressed their solidarity with the Mapuche in the form of open-ended fasting campaigns. Human rights organizations and international organizations like the International Red Cross and the United Nations brought the hunger strikes to global attention, putting the Chilean government under pressure.

"We hope that the dialog between government and Mapuche, mediated by the church, will continue and that the remaining questions will be clarified," said Bangert. "We are deeply concerned about the health of the Mapuche who are still on strike. According to our information, seven of the ten Mapuche imprisoned in Angol have been hospitalized."

The STP had presented appeals to the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous People, James Anaya, the international and Chilean Red Cross, and the ambassadors of Germany, Austria and Switzerland in Santiago de Chile, asking them to visit the hunger strikers, ensure adequate medical care, and provide observers to make sure the prisoners receive fair trials. At a reception in Cologne the human rights organization presented the Chilean Ambassador, Jorge O'Ryan Schütz, with a petition for the prisoners.

For further information, please contact Yvonne Bangert.

Translated by Elizabeth Crawford