Indigenous leaders and activists meet the Amnesty International Delegation in Calama. ©Amnesty International
Amnesty International’s delegation travelled to Calama, in the North of Chile, in the most arid partof the world.
The dryness is unimaginable. It is a bit overwhelming to be in the middle of the Atacama desert, dealing with human rights problems that epitomize Chile: the unfinished business of the past and the very pressing marginalization and discrimination of Indigenous Peoples nowadays.
The daykicked off with a meeting with Atacameños and other Indigenous Peoples sharing their problems with us:
Continue reading ‘Human rights in the most arid part of the world - part 1′
Dibujo hecho por ex-detenidos. ©Amnesty International
Dedicación escrita por la Secretaria General de Amnistía Internacional Irene Khan durante su visita al Parque por la Paz Villa Grimaldi:
Amnistía Internacional se une en solidaridad con las víctimas, sobrevivientes, amigos y familiares de todos aquellos que fueron torturados aquí. Compartimos la memoria colectiva y compartimos la responsabilidad colectiva de garantizar la verda, justicia y reparación.
No olvidaremos y trabajaremos con ustedes para asegurar que esta tragedia no se repita nunca jamás.
Continue reading ‘En solidaridad’
©Amnesty International
Dedication written by Amnesty International’s Secretary General Irene Khan during her visit to the Park for Peace Villa Grimaldi:
Amnesty International stands in solidarity with the victims, survivors, their friends and family of all those who were tortured here. We share the collective memory and we share the collective responsibility to ensure truth, justice and reparation.
We will not forget and we will work with you to make sure that never again shall such a tragedy happens.
Continue reading ‘In solidarity’
Flying into Santiago ©Amnesty International
I’m of a generation for whom the 11th of September was a turning point long before 9/11(of 2001). Only months after I was born in 1973, the coup d’etat took place in Chile, forever changing the psyche for many, not just In Latin America, but beyond.
I re-read Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s tale of “La Aventura de Miguel Littín clandestino en Chile” - the story of the reknown chilean film director Miguel Littín who was on a list of 5,000 people who lived in forced exile during the Pinochet regime. Miguel Littín risked it all to go back to Chile in 1985 to film the reality of life under the military dictatorship and Garcia Marquez’s reportage makes appropriate reading on the plane from Sao Paulo to Santiago.
Continue reading ‘En route to Chile’
