Mapuche Lead the Fight for Recognition of Indigenous Rights in Chile

Mapuche Lead the Fight for Recognition of Indigenous Rights in Chile
A Mapuche indigenous woman shouts slogans during a march commemorating the police killing of an activist, Santiago, Chile, Jan. 5, 2016 (AP photo by Luis Hidalgo).

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on the legal status and socio-economic conditions of indigenous peoples in a range of countries.

Indigenous groups in Chile are calling for the release of Machi Francisca Linconao, a spiritual leader of the Mapuche people who has been imprisoned for arson since 2013 under the country’s controversial counterterrorism law and whose health is currently in decline. In an email interview, José Aylwin, the co-director of Observatorio Ciudadano, a Chilean human rights NGO, discusses indigenous rights in Chile.

WPR: What is the legal status of Chile’s indigenous peoples, and what are the key political and socio-economic issues facing indigenous communities?

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