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El Ciudadano

Original article: Cañete: Familiares de comuneros mapuche de Huentelolen encarcelados exigen respeto al debido proceso y rechazan uso de «testigos protegidos»

Families of the Mapuche community members detained in Cañete, affiliated with the Huentelolen community, issued a statement demanding a fair trial for their relatives, questioning the use of statements from protected witnesses as part of the process, and rejecting the criminalization that has occurred in this case.

«In recent days, various media outlets have portrayed them as alleged ‘leaders’ or ‘bosses’, creating a public image of guilt that no court has determined. They are judged publicly before a trial exists and without all the details of the investigation being known,» the statement claims.

«We want to make it clear: our relatives do not belong to any organization. They are committed Mapuche community members dedicated to their community, culture, and way of life. Their commitment lies with their lof, their rehue, their territory, and the responsibilities they assume daily alongside their families,» they added.

«They are men deeply connected to Mapuche culture, dedicated to strengthening our knowledge, practices, and traditions, keeping alive the legacy of our kuifikeche yem. Their work and participation demonstrate a real commitment to the enhancement of Mapuche kimün and the küme mongen in the territory,» they emphasized.

In this context, they elaborated that some «hold important responsibilities within our spirituality and community life as tayülfe, curiche or kona, actively participating in traditional ceremonies such as ngillatun, machitun, and other fundamental expressions of our beliefs and understanding of life.»

For all these reasons, they expressed concern that «as families, we are very worried that such serious accusations are primarily based on statements from protected witnesses, as this makes it difficult to contrast their claims and fully assess their credibility. We believe that justice should be based on objective, verifiable evidence and subject to due process.»

«We are not asking for privileges or special treatment. We only demand respect for due process, impartial investigations, and equality before the law so that any responsibility is determined based on concrete evidence and not on speculation or premature judgments,» insisted the family members.

«We are convinced that only a fair, transparent trial that respects fundamental guarantees will allow for the clarification of the facts. If that occurs, we trust that our relatives will be able to prove their innocence and that the truth will prevail over prejudices and media condemnations,» concludes the statement.

In this case, the four detainees, identified as Alexis Llanquileo, Eduardo Donoso Tromelao, Diego Lincopan, and César Millanao, were arrested during an operation by the PDI and the Navy in the Huentelolen lof. They remain in preventive detention. The prosecution accuses them of repeated robbery with intimidation and simple homicide. The news has been widely covered by media such as Emol, Canal 13, and national broadcasting stations.

We will continue to provide updates.

La entrada Cañete: Families of Imprisoned Mapuche Community Members Demand Respect for Due Process and Condemn Use of Protected Witnesses se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.