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Original article: Condenado, encarcelado y otra vez enjuiciado: Denuncian persecución judicial contra el lonko Guillermo Ñirripil Cheuquepan

Communities Highlight a Pattern of Harassment and Dual Judicial Threats Against Leader

Following the five-year sentence imposed in 2024 on leader Guillermo Ñirripil for alleged extortion, evidence put forth by local communities suggests that this case is not a criminal act but rather a politically motivated persecution carried out through procedural flaws.

Reports indicate that the Public Ministry committed a grave error by failing to summon a key witness, Marco Sanhueza, who acted as an intermediary and representative for the property owner. Communities assert that Sanhueza had extensive conversations with the traditional authority over more than a year. His exclusion from the trial left the court unaware of the discussions’ origins, initiated by the plaintiff rather than the lonko, they explain.

They argue that the extortion charge lacks basic legal foundation. The questioned funds were handed over via a bank draft designated for social purposes. «It is imperative to note that it was the property representative who physically accompanied the lonko to the bank for the withdrawal. This fact alone dismantles the claim of ‘intimidation,’ as no extortion victim voluntarily assists their perpetrator in payment,» the communities’ statement emphasizes.

The situation of lonko Guillermo Ñirripil Cheuquepan—hailing from the Miguel Cheuquepan community in Curacautín and supported by 21 Mapuche communities across the regions of Lautaro, Curacautín, Perquenco, Victoria, Lonquimay, Vilcún, and Padre Las Casas—is viewed by these communities as a glaring example of ongoing legal persecution.

While serving a five-year sentence (RIT 508-2023) confirmed by the Appeals Court of Temuco on April 10, 2024, the lonko faces renewed judicial ambush. The prosecution has scheduled a second oral trial against him for July 1, 2026 (RIT 133-2025), accusing him of robbery with intimidation and extortion amid territorial dialogue.

This dual judicial front has raised alarms within the communities, which see this new trial as an imminent threat of further imprisonment, creating a landscape of criminalization aimed at sidelining the lonko’s role in territorial and environmental defense.

According to the statement from these 21 Mapuche communities, the prosecution’s modus operandi has been described as part of a systematic pattern of racialization within the justice system. Comparative analyses with national cases involving non-Mapuche individuals reveal a double standard in the law’s application, particularly regarding the abusive use of pre-trial detention and media stigmatization. «In the case of lonko Ñirripil, the Chilean state not only enforces a sentence but also prepares for a new one, completely disregarding the nature of the original events, which both the communities and the lonko describe as negotiation processes grounded in commitments, a fundamental pillar of Mapuche culture,» the communities assert.

This ongoing persecution occurs within a context where, the communities claim, discriminatory practices within the penal system continually violate due process rights for Mapuche authorities. The state continues to apply penal policies that redefine territorial claims and conflict resolution as common crimes, undermining the legitimacy of traditional institutions, they indicated.

The communities urgently call for solidarity against this strategy of «double persecution that transgresses the standards of Convention 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.» They demand the establishment of genuine and culturally relevant dialogue channels to address the underlying territorial conflict and ensure the physical and cultural integrity of lonko Guillermo Ñirripil while he remains incarcerated.

Another significant concern raised by the communities regarding the lonko’s case is the structural violations by the Chilean state against incarcerated Mapuche individuals, particularly within the prison system: «Deprivation of liberty without cultural relevance affects their spirituality, identity, and territorial connection… they are denied the opportunity to engage in traditional ceremonies and differentiated approaches according to indigenous law,» the communities report.

La entrada Convicted, Imprisoned, and Facing Another Trial: Allegations of Judicial Persecution Against Community Leader Guillermo Ñirripil Cheuquepan se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.