The Trials Against the Llaitul Family and Mapuche Political Prisoners

The Photo: Héctor Llaitul, leader of the Arauco Malleco Coordinator

It is well known that the leader of the Arauco Malleco Coordinator, Héctor Llaitul, was sentenced on April 22 to 23 years in prison for crimes of theft, assault against authority, and violating the State Security Law. However, what is not so well known is that Héctor Llaitul’s sons, Ernesto and Pelentaro, are also facing the judicial system.

By Gastón Villarroel

During the first week of June, Héctor Llaitul began a hunger strike in an effort to pressure the court to review his case and annul his trial along with those of his sons. Of the two, Pelentaro Llaitul (20) is at risk of receiving the longest sentence. His oral trial hearing was suspended on Wednesday, June 19, and rescheduled for the same date in July.

The eldest son of the Llaitul family, Ernesto, was sentenced in November 2023 to 15 years in prison. However, the trial was annulled by the Court of Appeals of Concepción, which ordered a retrial with judges who had not been disqualified. Ernesto Llaitul’s new trial began on May 30 and will conclude on the 28th of this month.

Political Prisoners in a Democracy
As mentioned, there are lesser-known judicial processes involving members of the Mapuche people. While the cases of Ernesto and Pelentaro are still in the trial phase, more than 60 Mapuche individuals are currently under the prison system. The media outlet Radio Kurruf published an updated list in January 2024 that includes 15 Mapuche political prisoners currently on hunger strike.

That report defines political imprisonment of the Mapuche people as “people deprived of freedom not only accused of various crimes, but also for their opinions or actions regarding the reality in the Mapuche territory.” The origin of the repression against the Mapuche people, they argue, comes from all political parties, both left and right. This repression consists of “punishing the courage to reclaim their own history and the audacity to challenge the existing order,” they state.

A Secure State
Héctor Llaitul was convicted under the State Security Law, but what exactly does this law entail? According to the Library of the National Congress of Chile, “those who, in any form or by any means, rise up against the established government commit a crime against the internal security of the State.” This is found under “Title II: Crimes Against the Internal Security of the State.”

A question raised by this statement might be: what does it mean to “rise up against the government”? The Mapuche people have a long history of struggle, particularly in response to land seizures. Is fighting against the theft of their lands considered rising up? A state that does not recognize plurinationality—despite the existence of many nations besides the “Chilean” one—suggests that a resolution to this historic conflict is not in sight, at least not one free from state repression.

Thıs article is from the website of the JGM Radio