Chileans Request the Dissolution of the Military Police

Politicians, lawmakers, social movements, and labor organizations on Thursday handed over a letter to Chile's President Sebastian Piñera requesting the dissolution of the Military Police (Carabineros).

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"We demand a halt to Carabineros' systematic violation of human rights against the people, especially against those who protest in the streets against the regime," the letter reads.

Political and social leaders delivered their message at the government headquarters (La Moneda Palace), where relatives of the prisoners of the October 2019 social outbreak also gathered.

In the letter, they list violent incidents perpetrated by Carabineros, such as the murder of Mapuche community leader Camilo Catrillanca, the raid on the Temucuicui community, and the throwing from the Pio Nono bridge of a teenager who was protesting peacefully.

"We urge police institutions and the Army to be reformed. It is urgent to modify the exercise of their duties taking into account international standards," the letter added.

Despite the broad public demand for a demilitarized national police force, "the high command has supported this institution, which could not shed the violence inherited from the years of dictatorship (1973-1990)," they stated and demanded the release of the political prisoners.

"While they are in prison, many officers who violated human rights in the past years are free and protected by Piñera's administration."

Police brutality in Chile has been condemned by organizations such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR).