19 Aug ProDESC requests precautionary measures from the IACHR to protect Mapuche Williche defenders and prevent irreparable harm from hydroelectric project in Chile
Mexico City, August 15, 2025. – The Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights Project (ProDESC) submitted a request for precautionary measures to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on behalf of Machi Millaray Huichalaf, her family, and other defenders of the Mapuche Williche people, members of the Aylla Rewe del Ngen Mapu Kintuantü, who face a systematic pattern of harassment, persecution, and criminalization in southern Chile.
“We are facing a serious and urgent case of criminalization against those who defend their territory and their ancestral culture. The latest acts of harassment demonstrate that there is a real and imminent risk to the life, integrity, and freedom of the Mapuche Williche defenders,” said Alejandra Ancheita, Executive Director of ProDESC.
In the last three months, at least three serious and irregular actions have been recorded against members of the Aylla Rewe:
– Arbitrary detention (April 2025) of a human rights defender through a disproportionate police deployment and without a court order.
– Irregular detention (May 2025) of Jaime Javier Uribe, partner of Machi Millaray, who was transferred against his will and subjected to criminal proceedings.
– Militarized raid (August 2025) on the home and rewe of Machi Millaray Huichalaf, in which 30 armed agents participated, even breaking in while children and adolescents were present.
These events, coupled with criminal proceedings brought against community leaders, confirm the misuse of criminal law to inhibit the defense of territory and the work of Mapuche Williche spiritual and community authorities.
In its brief, ProDESC asks the IACHR to order the Chilean State to:
– Adopt immediate measures to protect the life, integrity, and freedom of Machi Millaray Huichalaf and the other beneficiaries.
– Guarantee their free movement within the country and internationally, including their participation in ongoing international mediation processes.
– Cease any action that has the effect of criminalizing Mapuche Williche human rights defenders.
Press contact:
Valeria Berumen, Communications Officer at ProDESC
comunicacion.estrategica@prodesc.org.mx
+525515032410