14 May URGENT ACTION: ARBITRARY DETENTION AND CRIMINALIZATION OF MAPUCHE WILLICHE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN CHILE
Santiago de Chile and Mexico City, April 25, 2025
To the attention of:
Mr. Albert K. Barume, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
Ms. Mary Lawlor, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders;
Mr. Michel Forst, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders
Cc:
National Institute of Human Rights (INDH)
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights of Chile
Regional Prosecutor’s Office of Los Ríos
Judiciary of Chile
Facts:
Since April 24, 2025, the Chilean Investigative Police (PDI) has been conducting a large-scale operation in Mapuche Williche territory, which led today, April 25, to the arbitrary detention of Felipe Trunci González, a member of the Aylla Rewe of the Ngen Mapu Kintuantü and a well-known defender from the commune of Puyehue, along with acts against other defenders of the ancestral territory. According to available information, Felipe was taken to the PDI facilities in Osorno, Los Lagos Region. Preliminary reports suggest the detention is linked to a sealed case (RIT 157-2023, Río Bueno Guarantee Court). Authorities have requested DNA samples, an excessive measure suggesting possible more serious charges not yet disclosed. It is important to note that at the time of his detention, Felipe had no access to legal counsel and was transferred without a court order and without being formally charged before the Guarantee Judge to the Forensic Medical Service. These circumstances are contrary to due process, minimum judicial guarantees, and human rights.
In recent days, police presence has also been reported at at least two other homes of defenders and members of the Aylla Rewe. At the time of the arrest, reports described a disproportionate deployment involving multiple police vehicles, agents, and road blockades. These circumstances appear to form part of a systematic pattern of persecution, intimidation, harassment, and revictimization against defenders, in violation of the right to defend human rights.
Context:
These actions occur at a particularly sensitive time for the Mapuche Williche communities of the Pilmaiquén territory, who have defended their land and spirituality for over a decade against hydroelectric projects driven by the Norwegian company Statkraft. In September 2023, these communities — represented by the Aylla Rewe of the Ngen Mapu Kintuantü and Machi Millaray Huichalaf — filed a formal complaint before the Norwegian National Contact Point (NCP) for violations of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The complaint points, among other issues, to Statkraft’s responsibility for violations of the rights of the Mapuche Williche communities, including the right to free, prior, and informed consent, territorial rights, and the right to defend human rights.
The recent detention of Felipe Trunci and the excessive police deployment also occur in the context of the resumption of the indigenous consultation process regarding archaeological findings at the Los Lagos Hydroelectric Project (operated by Statkraft), being conducted by the National Monuments Council, whose next session is scheduled for May 3, 2025.
Demands:
In light of this situation, we respectfully demand from the national authorities of Chile and international bodies:
1. The immediate release of Felipe Trunci, as well as any other individuals arbitrarily detained without legal basis or sufficient evidence.
2. Full compliance with due process, minimum judicial guarantees, and the principle of proportionality in the actions of police and competent authorities.
3. An end to the persecution and criminalization of members of the Aylla Rewe and the Mapuche Williche communities.
4. An independent and thorough investigation into the police operation and the human rights violations committed during it.
5. The urgent intervention of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders to monitor and call upon the Chilean State to protect and respect the human rights of defenders and their communities.
6. That this communication also be directed to the company Statkraft, as a central actor in the socio-environmental conflict affecting the ancestral territory of the Mapuche-Williche people. It is essential to urge the company to comply with its human rights due diligence obligations, adopting concrete measures to prevent and mitigate violations, and using its leverage to promote safe environments where the rights to protest, freedom of expression
and association, and the defense of human rights are fully respected.
Signatory Organizations:
Machi Millaray Huichalaf Pradines
Initiative for Transnational Justice
Project for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ProDESC)