More Than 200 People Lost Their Sight in Chile’s Protests

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Chile‘s main medical association announced on Thursday, November 14th, that at least 230 people lost their sight, partially or completely, due to air rifle shots fired by state security officers during protests in the South American country.

Out of these 230 people, at least 50 will need prosthetic eyes, according to ophthalmologist Patricio Meza, vice president of the Chilean Medical College.

Additional statistics from the institution showed that the average age of the victims is 30. In the vast majority of cases, the injury was caused by the impact of a lead or rubber projectile to the eyes, according to the university institution.

“We are facing a real health crisis, a health emergency, since in just a few days, in three weeks, we had the largest number of cases involving severe eye complications due to gunfire,” Meza said.

The Chilean National Human Rights Institute (NHRI) said it condemns the violence of protesters, but that this does not justify the “indiscriminate” use of air rifles by the riot squad.

The NHRI, the NGO Amnesty International and the Chilean Medical College have unsuccessfully appealed to the government to ban the use of rifles by the police since the inception of protests in the country.

Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich announced an “eye care” program for “victims of political violence,” which should cover treatment and psychological care costs.

Prosecutors opened 1,089 criminal investigations into accusations of “institutional violence” during the first two weeks of the conflict. Seventy percent of these are directed at the police.

More than 20 people have been killed and 2,500 injured since the start of protests on October 18th, in what began as a student demonstration against the increase in subway fares.

However, since then, the wave of protests has evolved into a much larger and broader movement, encompassing a long list of demands related to the growing financial disparity between the wealthy and the less fortunate. Citizens are calling for reforms in the country’s health services, education, pension system, and constitution.

The legislators of the National Congress approved on Friday morning a script for the establishment of a new Constitution, which will replace the current Magna Carta, enacted during the military regime of Augusto Pinochet in 1980.

A referendum will be held in April 2020, asking voters if they are in favor of a new Constitution, as well as on the model of the constituent assembly that will draft the text.

Source: DW