Victims and Unions Say Justice "Still Falling Short" for Homicides in the Southern Macro-Zone
One out of every two homicides perpetrated in the southern macro-zone, in the context of arson attacks and armed assaults by radicalized organizations, has not been clarified and has no detained or convicted individuals, according to warnings from unions and victims' associations of the violence.
They highlight the recent conviction for the homicide of PD] Inspector Luis Morales Balcázar and that the preparation for the trial for the deaths of police officers Misael Vidal, Carlos Cisterna, and Sergio Arévalo is scheduled for October, but they demand all cases be pursued.
This is because there are about 30 homicides that have seen no progress in the investigation, out of a total of 66 fatal victims recorded in a study by the Multigremial of La Araucanía, which covers from 2002 onward.
The manager of the Association of Forestry Contractors, René Muñoz, states that "we value what has been done to clarify some of the homicides, but more than 60 have been committed over 23 years and many victims still have not achieved judicial results."
He recalled that his union alone has suffered the murder of five workers and that in none of these cases have those responsible been detained and convicted. Alongside the most recent fatal attack, which cost the life of forestry guard Manuel León, he mentioned César Millahual, Benjamín Bustos, Alejandro Carrasco, and Segundo Catril. "In these cases, there are no arrests or progress. We are constantly requesting information from the prosecutors' offices," he says.
He adds that the lack of results in homicides also extends to arson attacks. "Of the 516 attacks against work sites that we have suffered since 2014, there have only been convictions in three cases," Muñoz emphasizes.
"The justice system is falling short for the victims of terrorism and violence, because we have dozens of homicides without sanctions," says the president of the Association of Victims of Rural Violence, Alejo Apraiz. He mentions, among others, truck driver Juan Barrios, who was burned alive in his truck. Among the members of the organization are relatives of murdered people, which is why he stressed that "we have to clarify all the crimes so that there can be justice."
Civilian victims
Patricio Santibáñez, president of the Multigremial of La Araucanía, the entity that compiled the details of all murders committed in the southern macro-zone by violent groups, highlights that "the majority of homicides of police officers have been clarified, but the same is not true for many cases of civilian victims."
Furthermore, he points out that "the most recent crimes have been clarified, and this coincides with greater territorial control by the State" and adds that "this increased presence has allowed investigations to be carried out and for more people to be willing to testify or provide information."
As an example, he states that "we have cases like the homicide of farmer Orwal Casanova, about which there was never further background information that would allow the investigation to make progress."
"Not closing cases"
The head of the Association of Farmers of Malleco, Sebastián Naveillán, argues that "just as we must congratulate the criminal prosecution system that has allowed the clarification of terrible homicides in the southern macro-zone, we must also demand that none of the murders still unresolved, like that of leader Joel Ovalle and four other farmers, be closed before finding those responsible. For the union, our main concern is that their deaths do not go unpunished."
Source:El Mercurio
