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Relatives of Victims of Valparaíso Mega-Fire Accuse the State Before the UN for Human Rights Violations
A “violation of human rights (…) that the State of Chile seeks to relegate to oblivion.” This is how lawyer Felipe Olea referred to the complaint he filed before the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on behalf of the relatives of approximately 65 deceased from the Valparaíso mega-fire.
The complaint seeks the appointment of an international observer to review the various violations that may have occurred against human rights during and after the February 2024 disaster, with the UN having a 30-day period to make the appointment. Thus, it is expected that the body will demand formal explanations from the State of Chile, recommend immediate reparative measures, and monitor compliance with Chile’s international obligations in matters of housing, health, and information.
“There is a feeling of abandonment among the victims of the mega-fire, which adds to the pain of having faced a tragedy like this, with no one taking responsibility for the negligence that caused the death of 139 people and the destruction of more than a third of the city,” the lawyer commented in conversation with Radio Bío Bío.
The document points to the Chilean State and its agencies both for their negligence in the death of the 139 people who died in the deadly fire and for the lack of subsequent actions regarding psychosocial aid and the slow reconstruction of the more than 7,000 destroyed homes.
Specifically, the document identifies as responsible for the human rights violations: CONAF for “failures in prevention, modeling, and management of early warnings,” SENAPRED for “deficiencies in coordination and delays in issuing evacuation alerts,” and the Government for “omissions in the response, reconstruction, and support for the victims, which keeps thousands of families in undignified conditions more than a year after the disaster.”
“We are convinced that this catastrophe is the responsibility of the State of Chile in a broad sense, including the government, institutions, and even municipalities. We believe we are facing a true violation of human rights protected by international treaties, and that is why we ask the international community, through the UN, to verify the existence of these violations that the State of Chile seeks to relegate to oblivion,” added the lawyer.
This is not the first time a group has organized to file a complaint for human rights violations by the State before the UN, as actions have also been taken regarding the Mapuche cause and the social uprising.
The action was filed on behalf of the relatives of approximately 65 deceased who, after the tragedy, came together to form the Community of Victims of the Viña del Mar Mega-Fire.
The group came together with the focus of organizing around the defense of the rights of the disaster’s victims, to access adequate housing, comprehensive reparation, and support for the physical and mental health conditions deteriorated by the fires.
In this vein, they have held meetings with authorities to demand housing solutions and psychosocial support, have filed various legal actions—such as complaints and lawsuits for compensation—and have carried out activities for mutual support and emotional containment.
“The group has had to compensate for the state’s absence in multiple areas, becoming a key social actor in reconstruction and in demanding accountability,” states the document presented this Monday before the UN.
Source:BiobioChile
