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Original article: Detención del werken Jorge Huenchullán: familia acusa “estructura racista del Estado chileno” que criminaliza a Temucuicui

Arrest of Werken Jorge Huenchullán: Family Accuses Chilean State of Racist Structure Criminalizing Temucuicui

The family of werken Jorge Huenchullán has reported that his arrest on Tuesday, May 19, during a massive operation involving military personnel, Carabineros, and the PDI, received significant media attention and reflects a “racist structure of the Chilean state” that systematically criminalizes the autonomous community of Temucuicui.

After five years of facing judicial and political persecution, Huenchullán was captured in an operation that, according to his supporters, aimed to serve the interests of the local oligarchy and forestry companies.

In a statement, Huenchullán’s family explained that his decision to go underground was not to evade justice but an act of rebellion against a state that has committed a genocide by dispossessing them of their lands, installing economically supported European migrants, and turning them into fiefdoms of the local far right.

They recalled that his role as a werken of the autonomous community of Temucuicui began with milestones such as the recovery of the Alaska estate, which was in the hands of forest company Mininco, “and the efforts to reclaim the territorial and cultural spaces usurped by the Urban family and others.”

Werken Jorge Huenchullán Was a Victim of the Setup of «Operation Hurricane»

Since then, he has been prosecuted more than twelve times, spent long periods in pre-trial detention, and was a victim of the so-called «Operation Hurricane,» a setup that resulted in several carabineros being convicted for fabricating false evidence.

This extensive police and media action deployed in September 2017 announced the dismantling of an alleged Mapuche terrorist network, based on fabricated WhatsApp chats as demonstrated in court. Its development was not an isolated incident but part of a systematic strategy to criminalize the Mapuche people.

The family stated that the arrest perpetuates state racism that has transformed the Mapuche into an “internal enemy” and forms part of actions by political and judicial actors who “seek to please the oligarchy and forestry companies to maintain their power.”

They specifically pointed out the actions of prosecutors Francisco Lubetij, Sergio Moya, and Roberto Garrido, who—in a bid to claim credit for the arrest—publicly contradicted the government by stating that “it was their work in coordination with the Army, Carabineros, and the PDI.”

Claims That Kast’s Government is «Neofascist»

In their statement, they labeled the current administration of José Kast as “neofascist” and warned that it seeks to make Temucuicui a political target, establishing racist categories between “good Mapuche” and “bad Mapuche” to prevent the multiplication of their example of territorial resistance.

This assertion aligns with comments from the Autonomous Community of Temucuicui, which, in a public statement, claimed that from La Moneda, they attempt to “construct an artificial narrative of triumph and territorial control,” and that in the face of “the lack of structural results and political merits of their own, various sectors attempt to use Huenchullán’s name «as a media trophy aimed at strengthening the government’s image before the public.”

For the family and the press, particularly Radio Biobío, is responsible for fostering stigmatization by stating that the werken faces over 18 years in prison, even though according to the defense, the charges relate to non-violent usurpation, illegal possession of firearms, and minor drug trafficking.

They expressed confidence that Huenchullán will be acquitted of all charges, but warned that the persecution will continue because the Mapuche authority firmly believes that only through struggle and territorial control can they regain dignity, self-determination, and a future free from oppression, assistentialism, or ecocide.

“The kidnapping of Jorge Huenchullán has only ignited the flame to continue advancing,” they concluded in the statement.

La entrada Arrest of Werken Jorge Huenchullán: Family Accuses Chilean State of Racist Structure Criminalizing Temucuicui se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.