Chilean human rights activist speaks

Chilean human rights activist, DANIEL SANCHEZ SAN JUAN, is on a speaking tour of Australia. Green Left Weekly's LIAM HAZELL and TONY ILTIS spoke to him in Canberra. Sanchez is an international representative of the Chilean People's Defence Organisation (ODEP), whose main purpose is to provide legal representation to those arrested and jailed for political reasons. It especially represents people jailed under the Special Military Justice Act, and their families. He first became politically active during the Pinochet dictatorship. After first joining Christian social justice and secondary student groups, he became involved in a political organisation, along with his parents. In 1990, his family was detained by police, and interrogated in inhuman conditions over four nights. They were blindfolded and handcuffed, refused permission to go to the toilet or sleep, constantly interrogated and accused of committing many crimes. Sanchez was eventually set free without being charged, but his parents were held incommunicado and then sentenced to life imprisonment — allegedly for taking part in a political kidnapping. This led him to become directly involved in human rights campaigns. According to Sanchez, most of the remaining political prisoners in Chile today were detained after 1990, when the supposedly democratic government of Patricio Alwyn was elected. Laws created by the dictatorship are still in force. These include the anti-terrorist law and laws on "illicit association" and the "formation of combat groups". "These laws were established to counter the groups fighting the Pinochet dictatorship yet they are still being used to detain people", said Sanchez. "The crime could be simply belonging to a left-wing group. In essence, the regime has not changed much since the days of the dictatorship. In fact, the economic model of the dictatorship has simply been perfected — a model which the government itself admits has 5 million people, a third of the population living in extreme conditions." The main targets of repression are groups to the left of the main parties. These include the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), MAPU and the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front (MRFP). "These groups were formed by youth who have learned from the experience of the dictatorship and are continuing their rebellion. They want to get rid of the current economic model", Sanchez said. "In the last three years, 300 people from these groups have been jailed, 140 permanently. [The repressive] laws are applied broadly to both leaders of groups and people who merely have links with them." Between 1990 and 1995, 48 young people had been murdered by the authorities, and 70 cases of torture had been documented by Amnesty International. There are 150 political prisoners at present in Chile. "This is the reality of Chile today", Sanchez said, despite the "favourable image" the Chilean government has created overseas. Sanchez said that the student movement — which had been the most active force campaigning for human rights — had experienced difficulties resulting from illusions created by the transition to civilian rule. The Secondary Students Association and the Federation of Chilean [Tertiary] Students (FECH) were taken over by careerist leaderships and collapsed. However, student activism is again on the rise. "On September 2, students from the University of Chile occupied their central building in protest against the government's planned privatisation of the university. Buses of police were brought in to break up the protest, and used tear gas on the students." "The government calls students who take part in such actions 'terrorists', and refuses to recognise the real issues involved", said Sanchez. Struggles were also taking place in the University of Santiago, the College of Teachers, the Professional Institute of Santiago, the University of Playa Ancha in Valparaiso, the University of Concepcion, and the University of Frontera in southern Chile. Sanchez urged Australians to support a new Chilean human rights committee being established here.