Chile: Piñera May Face 20 Years for Crimes Against Humanity

The 7th Court of Guarantees of Santiago Tuesday admitted a complaint about crimes against humanity presented by the Upper House's Human Rights Commission president Alejandro Navarro against Chile's President Sebastian Piñera.

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"He will be punished with imprisonment in any of its grades, the maximum degree being a penalty ranging from 15 to 20 years," Navarro said.

“This complaint seeks justice and, in this human rights case, justice means prison for Piñera. It is the only way to repair the pain of the victims, the mutilated, who have been blind,” the MAS senator said.

The Broad Social Movement (MAS) senator added that the right-wing Chilean president must be held responsible for the consequences of his political decisions given that there has been a "systematic and organized attack" against the population.

The accusation was filed on Dec 12, when Navarro went to court accompanied by people who lost their eyes as a result of the repression that the Military Police and the Army have unleashed against Chileans since Oct. 18.

“I believe that Sebastian Piñera still fails to understand the magnitude of the violation of human rights in Chile under his mandate. That is why I filed a criminal complaint about crimes against humanity," Senator Navarro commented.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and at least two international NGOs have made special reports on the recent violation of human rights in Chile.

Until last week, according to data from the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH), citizens had filed 442 legal actions in favor of 646 victims, 411 of which are complaints against the Military police, 38 are against the Armed Forces, and 60 against the Chilean Investigative Police.

On Monday, despite the increasing accumulation of evidence on human rights violations, Pinera sent a bill to strengthen legal protections for the repressive actions which security forces carry out.

According to the Chilean president, citizens are those who have violated human rights. Therefore, while signing his bill, he said that his government “categorically condemns aggression, mistreatment, humiliation that often affects our police."

The meme ironically states, “Nooo, the Military police do take care of us and protect us. This is just a montage... blah, blah!! ”

For his part, the Upper House's Human Rights Commission president firmly emphasized that President Piñera will be tried sooner or later for what is happening in Chile.

“Just as it happened in Peru, Serbia or Egypt, where leaders such as Alberto Fujimori, Slobodan Milosevic, and Hosni Mubarak were convicted human rights violations and went to jail for it, Sebastian Piñera will be prosecuted by the courts, whether in the Supreme Court or The Hague Court, but he will not evade justice," Senator Navarro said.

"He will not have impunity and will not die without first paying for his responsibility."