Chile’s Piñera testifies in lawsuit alleging crimes against humanity during protests

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Chile’s president Sebastián Piñera gave a statement to the Prosecutor’s Office as part of a lawsuit for alleged crimes against humanity committed during the 2019 protests, government sources confirmed on Thursday.

Piñera gave his testimony to the Prosecutor’s Office this week, alongside his attorney and from his private home in the eastern part of the Chilean capital, according to local media, although the day of his statement remains unclear.

According to the government, Piñera “appeared before regional prosecutor Claudia Perivancich to provide all relevant information, explain all measures taken to protect the freedoms and rights of all citizens and cooperate to clarify all the events that occurred in the context of the 2019 violent outbreak.”

The proceedings seek to clarify if in the context of the massive wave of protests in October 2019, the most serious in the past 30 years, a “widespread or systematic attack against civilians” that “responds to a policy of the State or its agents” was configured, as reported by the national media.

Under the same judicial investigation, statements have been taken from other former members of the current government who are also included in the approximately 30 criminal complaints brought by the Chilean Human Rights Commission and other organizations.

Among them are the ex-Ministers of the Interior and Public Safety Andrés Chadwick – the president’s cousin – and Gonzalo Blumel, as well as the current Intendant (governor) of the Metropolitan Region Felipe Guevara.

Likewise, testimonies have also been taken from the ex-general director of Carabineros – Chilean militarized police – Mario Rozas, and from the officer who currently holds the position, Ricardo Yañez.

To date, more than 4,600 cases have been opened against Carabineros or military agents and international organizations such as the United Nations, Amnesty International (AI) or Human Rights Watch (HRW) have denounced police excesses and abuses in Chile, pointing to “serious human rights violations.”

The October 2019 protests, which continued on a regular basis until the first months of 2020 although less intense due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, left a balance of some 30 dead, hundreds with eye trauma, thousands injured and extreme violence incidents.

In an effort to provide an institutional solution to the social and political crisis, the Chilean party system agreed to the creation of a Constitutional Convention in charge of drafting a new Constitution for the South American country, widely demanded by Chileans.

Against all odds, independents with no political party affiliation were the big winners of the constituent elections last May (48 of the 155 seats). The convention will have one year to draft the new Charter, which will need to be endorsed in 2022 in another plebiscite.