El Ciudadano
Original article: «No es extorsión, es la palabra empeñada»: el relato de lonko encarcelado devela el montaje tras su condena
«They Do Not Respect their Word; They Respect the Contracts They Draft to Betray Us,» Says Mapuche Leader from Prison, Exposing the Mechanism Behind His Imprisonment
«Our culture is based on the promised word, a sacred value. They, the landowners, know this weakness of ours, our trust. They exploit it to label us as criminals later on.»
Image of Lonko Guillermo Ñirripil when he was free and with his family.
In these words, Lonko Guillermo Ñirripil, from his imprisoned state, provides testimony that reveals the procedural mechanics leading to his incarceration. His account, shared with his defenders and communities, dismantles the extortion charges (RUC 22006538367) and places them within the broader context of a corrupt land buying and selling system.
The testimony outlines prior meetings with the complainants, where landowners and businesses, in the name of seeking social peace and to expedite dealings with the State through CONADI, offered compensations. One account details how a businessman proposed assistance to the community for «administrative expenses,» which transpired into a community request for 12 cows as voluntary aid—an agreement that was later redefined as an intimidating demand when it was not fulfilled. During a meeting with the Lonko and various community representatives, it was the landowner who explicitly requested the installation of flags and signs to publicly indicate that the property was under a sales commitment. In another instance, the complaint arose after the community’s animals perished due to irresponsible logging practices, where the businessman acknowledged the damage and agreed to pay compensation for the dead animals, which has since been labeled as «extortive.»
This account highlights what the communities have been proclaiming from the outset: a setup facilitated by power asymmetry. While the Lonko operated under the principle of good faith, seeking redress for environmental damages (itrofil mogen) and discussing the possibility of land purchases—rights acknowledged and promoted by Article 20 of Indigenous Law 19.253—the complainants weaponized these same initiatives. For the Chilean judicial system, the lack of a written contract invalidates the promised word and transforms negotiations into an illicit act, disregarding the indigenous applicability within the community and the State’s obligation to consult and provide culturally appropriate dialogue mechanisms, as required by Articles 6, 7, and 15 of ILO Convention 169.
The defense of the Lonko and allied communities have stressed that this case illustrates the lethal trap in which Mapuche leadership has become ensnared. The Indigenous Law itself compels communities to contact landowners, negotiate prices, and gather cadastral information so that CONADI can purchase land. However, with the implementation of laws such as 21.633 (Usurpations) and 21.555 (Extortion), these same actions, conducted within the framework of law and tradition, have become the primary basis for criminal complaints. «We are the ones who have to visit the lands, ask if they’re for sale, negotiate. And now, that same act is used to imprison us,» explains the Lonko in his testimony, turning his case into a symbol of the legal insecurity faced by traditional authorities.
Human rights organizations have reminded us that the claim for ancestral lands is a human and political right, not a criminal act. In this context, the concept of «unjust enrichment» by forestry companies, which have exploited claimed territories for decades without compensation to the communities, starkly contrasts with the disproportionate penal response against those seeking minimal reparations. The message is clear: the State must investigate the origins of the complaints, acknowledge the context of asymmetry, and end the criminalization of the word and authority of the Mapuche people.
La entrada «It’s Not Extortion, It’s the Promised Word»: Imprisoned Lonko Reveals the Setup Behind His Conviction se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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