translated from Spanish: Misuse of weapons by police institutions in Chile

Mr. Director:
To receive a cordial greeting from me, the reason for the present is to show my view on the misuse of weapons by police institutions in our country.
This topic arose and became very controversial after the “Social Outburst” that began on October 18 of this year. However, by the authorities it has not yet been treated as it should. In fact, many cases of people affected have been recognized to date, with eye damage, even limb damage were evident in the skull and head.
According to the vice president of the Medical College, Patricio Meza, the registration of people with eye injuries exceeded 170 cases since the beginning of the mobilizations on October 18. About half would be with total vision loss.
Who controls the use of these weapons and the police? In March of this year, the portfolio then led by Andrés Chadwick, Piñera published in the Official Journal the decree that updated the “provisions relating to the use of force in police interventions for the maintenance of public order” that is inside of our constitution still in force since 1980. But has this decree been fulfilled? We’ve seen that you don’t. The document states that; the use of weapons should always be preceded by the policeman’s clear warning to use it and that “in the case of meetings not authorized by the competent authority and of a non-violent nature, police officers shall avoid excessive use of force”
Regarding this, the director of the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH), Sergio Micco, refuted that “the central thing is not what the protocols of carabinieri say, but how they are applied”.
Clearly here there are not only individual responsibilities on the part of citizens, but there are also institutional responsibilities. Today this situation transcended all ethical and above all moral limits, it is excessive balearic to the citizens above all directly in the face, and to leave them without sight, this is not to manage public order.
In short, we have all seen that the use of weapons in our country is not carried out correctly, since even “that we are at war” has been commented on, thus justifying the use of war elements. However, in order to launch a tear gas there must be resistance on the part of the citizen, but even if this did not happen the national police insist on using lethal reagents and weapons, not respecting their own protocol. For all the above, I believe that it is time to continue to express the evil being a citizen, so that the authorities understand that this outburst is not an attack on the government, it is a way of asking for a decent, fair and equitable life, because Chile is designed only for the Elites.
Martina Orellana Aldana,
Liceo Bicentennial of Multipurpose Excellence St. Nicholas

Original source in Spanish