15 Apr Urgent Action Required to Ensure a Dignified Burial for Jaime Uribe, a Mapuche Williche Human Rights Defender, in a Ceremonial Cemetery, and to Avert an Escalation of Conflict
Mexico City and Pilmaiquén, Chile, April 15, 2026.
Human rights organizations and traditional authorities of the Mapuche Williche People have denounced efforts to block the burial of Jaime Uribe Montiel—a Werken and Mapuche Williche human rights defender—in the Maihue-Carimallin ceremonial cemetery, a sacred site of ancestral use in the Pilmaiquén River basin.
Jaime Uribe Montiel passed away on April 11 in a car accident in southern Chile. His family and community had planned his burial for April 15 in accordance with the spiritual practices of the Mapuche Williche People, in the same cemetery where the ancestors of his partner Machi Millaray Huichalaf are laid to rest.
However, a group calling itself the “Maihue Indigenous Community” has blocked access to the cemetery, claiming to have the authority to protect cultural heritage. This decision has been endorsed by regional authorities (Seremi) without adequately verifying its legal basis or considering the longstanding customary practices through which multiple Indigenous communities hold collective rights over these sites.
The Maihue cemetery is a sacred, communally-used site protected under Chilean law, which recognizes Indigenous peoples’ right to carry out cultural practices in cemeteries and ceremonial spaces. The act of blocking the burial constitutes a violation of these rights, as well as of human dignity and the full exercise of the cultural rights of Mapuche Williche communities.
This situation arises amid growing community fragmentation in the Pilmaiquén River basin, linked to the presence of Statkraft, a company advancing hydroelectric projects in the area. According to community sources, the groups opposing the burial maintain ties with the company and receive direct resources from the company, thereby deepening internal tensions and weakening the collective exercise of cultural rights.
The Chilean State has failed to ensure the cultural rights of the communities and to prevent a potential escalation of the conflict. Regional authorities have indicated that they will not intervene, despite the risks to the safety and physical integrity of those involved.
Since 2023, organizations such as ProDESC and the Initiative for Transnational Justice (IJT) have worked alongside the Aylla Rewe communities to pursue corporate accountability in relation to Statkraft’s projects, including through a complaint filed with the OECD National Contact Point in Norway.
Under international standards, including the OECD Guidelines, companies have a responsibility to prevent and mitigate adverse human rights impacts, including those linked to their relationships with third parties. In this case, Statkraft’s proximity to, and collaboration with, communities restricting access to the cemetery places the company in a position where it should act to prevent such violations.
The undersigned organizations have requested the intervention of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to assess the risks and, where appropriate, to adopt urgent measures to ensure respect for the cultural rights of the Mapuche Williche People and the dignity of Jaime Uribe Montiel’s family.
They also issue an urgent call to the Chilean State and to the communities engaging with the company to assume their responsibilities and act immediately to guarantee access to the Maihue ceremonial cemetery, allow the burial to proceed in accordance with Indigenous tradition, and prevent any acts of confrontation between communities.
The organizations further call on the international community, human rights bodies, and key stakeholders to remain vigilant, speak out, and demand respect for the cultural rights of the Mapuche Williche People. Ensuring a dignified burial cannot be delayed or made conditional; it is an immediate obligation and a fundamental expression of our shared humanity.
Press Contact:
Valeria Berumen
Strategic Communications Coordinator | ProDESC
comunicacion.estrategica@prodesc.org.mx
+52 55 1503 2410