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The family of Argentinian artist and activist Santiago Maldonado, who died following a confrontation with police at a Mapuche land protest last year, has called for a march to commemorate the first anniversary of his forced disappearance.
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Family Members Mark 8 Months of Maldonado's Forced Disappearance
Santiago's brother, Sergio Maldonado, said: "Tomorrow (August 1) we summon everyone to Plaza de Mayo, at 5:00 p.m., to demand truth and justice for Santiago and for all the disappeared in dictatorship and democracy.
"We do not believe in this investigation, that's why we ask for a group of independent experts," says Sergio Maldonado, explaining the framework of State complicity to dirty the investigation.
"365 days ago, Santiago went to Pu Lof de Cushamen to show solidarity with the Mapuche cause, which he believed was just, to defend a land, we have been in this struggle for a year and it is difficult, it seems like an eternity."
On August 1 last year, Santiago – a 28-year-old fine arts graduate who had been backpackng around Argentina – was attending an Indigenous Mapuche protest against the seizure of ancestral lands by multinational fashion giant Benetton.
When police arrived to evict the Pu Lof community from south Chubut, Santiago was bundled into their van and disappeared. Seventy-eight days later, his body was found in the Chubut River just meters from where he had vanished – a loctaion that had already been searched six times.
The autopsy concluded Santiago had drowned, but his family has long disputed the official version of events. They are calling for an independent investigation and lay blame at the seat of President Mauricio Macri's government.
"No creemos en esta investigación, por eso pedimos un grupo de expertos independientes" dice Sergio Maldonado y explica el entramado de complicidad del Estado para ensuciar la investigación. pic.twitter.com/JWBBWNtSM2
— Abuelas Plaza Mayo (@abuelasdifusion) July 31, 2018
"We don't believe this investigation," Sergio said. "That is why we are asking for a group of independent experts."
The invitation to the August 1 march has been extended not only to the public, but also to social movements the Mothers Association of Plaza de Mayo; Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo; Children for Good Memory, and Family Members Disappeared for Political Reasons.
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