|  ElCiudadano.cl |  Noticias

El Ciudadano

Original article: Caso Lincolao: estudiantes de la UACh desmienten “secuestro” y denuncian criminalización

Lincolao Case: UACh Students Refute ‘Kidnapping’ Allegations and Denounce Criminalization of Peaceful Protest

The members of the Biochemistry Student Center at the Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh) issued a statement regarding the incident involving Science Minister Ximena Lincolao, in which they categorically denied the claims regarding a «kidnapping» of the official and accused the government of criminalizing peaceful protest.

Following the events that took place on April 8 at the university’s Valdivia campus, which resulted in the arrest of three students, they asserted that the demonstration was peaceful, self-organized, and driven by dissatisfaction with educational cuts, limitations on tuition waivers, and reductions in scientific scholarships implemented by the government of José Antonio Kast.

They emphasized that «no specific student organization called for this demonstration; it was self-organized.» Therefore, they contended that «the limited actions that occurred, individual and impulsive, involving some unfortunate colleagues, cannot and should not be used as an excuse
to delegitimize the real content of the call and criminalize the demonstration«.

«We are students, not criminals,» they declared.

In response to serious accusations of illegal detention, the students presented a narrative starkly different from the one circulated by some right-leaning media outlets and official spokespersons. According to their account, during the demonstration, students sought every opportunity for Minister Lincolao to come to the hall to discuss better scientific-educational measures with the present student leaders and resolve the demonstration.

However, due to the refusal of Kast’s government officials present at the venue to engage in dialogue with the students, «the demonstration lasted approximately two hours, as we awaited a willingness to communicate
with the authority.»

They noted that three student leaders were admitted as spokespersons to meet with the minister, during which they were prohibited from recording audio or video. Moreover, they explained to the authority that «nobody was holding her hostage» and that, on the contrary, «it was expected that she could come out to discuss.»

The document also expressed their dissatisfaction with UACh Rector Egon Montecinos, accusing him of falsely informing them that the minister had already left the premises when she was still present. Furthermore, they questioned his invitation to a government representative without prior coordination of a formal meeting with the student community to address concerns about the cuts. “We consider the Rector’s lack of foresight to identify the evident discomfort of university students (…) a troubling signal of disconnection or indifference towards his own students,” they stated.

Meanwhile, the students denounced the “sensationalist and unethical behavior” of mass media. They criticized the irresponsible exposure of their peers’ identities in a reserved case and warned of the “ongoing use of political subjectivity in official national media channels that spreads distorted information.

In conclusion, through their statement, they affirmed the legitimacy of social mobilization as a democratic tool. “Because when the voice of students is attempted to be silenced, it does not disappear; on the contrary, it strengthens, organizes, and finds new ways to be heard,” they concluded.

La entrada Lincolao Case: UACh Students Refute ‘Kidnapping’ Allegations and Denounce Criminalization of Peaceful Protest se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.