Protesters clash with police on the fifth anniversary of the student-led mass protests in Santiago

Peaceful Assembly

Clashes, detentions as Chileans commemorate fifth anniversary of social unrest

On 18th October 2024, thousands gathered in Plaza Baquedano, Santiago, under a heavy police presence to mark five years since the social unrest. Security forces deploy over 6,000 officers nationwide, primarily in the capital. Another demonstration occurred in Valparaíso, a port city in central Chile, where many young people and students participated.

Authorities reported 65 detentions and three injured police officers in Santiago’s protest. The Ministry of Interior and senior police officials confirmed that 89 incidents were recorded across the country, with 73 occurring in the capital region. These incidents ranged from demonstrations and barricades to confrontations between security forces and protesters.

The anniversary commemoration took place weeks before the municipal and regional governor elections.

Police crackdown on Indigenous protesters marking Columbus Day

On 13th October 2024, security forces allegedly used excessive force to disperse a protest over the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas and the onset of colonisation. Protesters, including Mapuche activists, gathered to demand justice for Indigenous rights violations and land restitution.

According to media reports, security forces used heavy-handed tactics, including tear gas and water cannon, to disperse protesters. Protesters repeatedly regrouped to reach their intended destination, Cerro Welen, where they discussed the situation of Mapuche political prisoners, legal proceedings concerning Indigenous activists killed in recent years, and broader organisational strategies.

Security forces continued to harass participants by surrounding the area and announcing identity checks on those gathered. Protesters have cited these actions as indicative of ongoing state repression against Indigenous communities.

Carabineros accused of excessive force against students at coup anniversary protest

On 12th September 2024, the Carabineros—Chilean police forces—allegedly used excessive force against students at Liceo 1 Javiera Carrera during a protest marking the 51st anniversary of the 1973 coup d’état. The National Institute of Human Rights (INDH) filed a criminal complaint before the Seventh Court of Guarantee in Santiago, citing unlawful coercion.

The complaint states that five students, including four minors, suffered disproportionate violence during the police intervention. Reports indicated that officers detained four students after spraying their faces with chemical irritants and dragging them. The fifth student, after being hit by a water cannon and falling to the pavement, was further targeted with another water discharge and a tear gas canister.

Congresswoman Ana María Gazmuri, supported by 18 parliamentarians, formally requested an explanation from the Ministry of the Interior and the Director General of Carabineros, questioning the legality and proportionality of riot control measures used against minors. Both the INDH and the Children’s Ombudsman’s Office condemned the actions, highlighting concerns about human rights violations.

Detentions in March for Pinochet-Era Victims

On 8th September 2024, thousands gathered in Santiago to participate in the annual march commemorating victims of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973–1990). The demonstration, held on the Sunday preceding 11 September each year, honours the memory of the estimated 3,200 people who were executed or forcibly disappeared during the military dictatorship.

Claudia Lara, daughter of Eduardo Lara, one of the 1,469 officially recognised victims of enforced disappearance, highlighted the ongoing search for justice, noting that only 307 people have been identified and their remains returned to their families.

During the march, confrontations occurred between protesters and security forces near the General Cemetery of Santiago, the site of a memorial for victims of the dictatorship. Some protesters erected burning barricades and threw projectiles, including stones and incendiary devices, prompting security forces to respond with water cannon and tear gas.

Additional clashes took place outside the Presidential Palace, La Moneda, where government buildings sustained minor damage. According to the Deputy Minister of the Interior, law enforcement detained 23 people, though no injuries were reported. The government deployed approximately 1,800 police officers to maintain public order, with officials describing the resulting damage as minimal.

Expression

Justice for Francisca Sandoval: a court hands down 24-year sentence

On 28th October 2024, the Fourth Oral Criminal Court of Santiago sentenced Marcelo Naranjo to 24 years in prison for the killing of journalist Francisca Sandoval, marking the first murder of a Chilean journalist since the country’s return to democracy in 1990.

Sandoval, a 29-year-old reporter for Canal 3 de La Victoria, was shot in the head while covering the 2022 International Workers’ Day march in Santiago. She was hospitalised and died 11 days later.

The court imposed a 15-year sentence for Sandoval’s homicide, along with four years for illegal firearm possession and five years for unlawful discharge of a weapon. The Public Prosecutor’s Office and the victim’s family had sought a 30-year sentence, requesting 20 years for homicide, five years for illegal firearm possession, and five years for unjustified shooting in a public space.

The court’s ruling, delivered unanimously, found Naranjo guilty beyond reasonable doubt, citing extensive evidence presented by the prosecution. The ruling confirmed that he was present at the scene and fired the shot that caused Sandoval’s death. The sentence brings partial closure to a case that underscored ongoing concerns regarding press safety and violence against journalists in Chile.

Inter-American Court holds Chile accountable for dictatorship-era seizure of “La Voz del Sur”

On 3rd October 2024, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a ruling holding Chile responsible for violating the rights to judicial guarantees and judicial protection under the American Convention on Human Rights (Galetovic Sapunar et. al. v. Chile Case). The case concerns the confiscation of “La Voz del Sur” radio station, which the claimants acquired in 1972, and which Chilean authorities subsequently seized following the military coup of 11th September 1973.

During the coup, officials from the Ministry of Defence occupied the station after it broadcast President Salvador Allende's final speech. Several of its owners were detained and later forced into exile or internal relegation. In 1974, the government formally dissolved the ownership company under Decrees 77, 473 and 1163, transferring the station’s assets to the state. In 1995, Galetovic Sapunar, on behalf of the former owners, filed a civil action seeking the annulment of these decrees and compensation. However, in 2004, Chile’s Supreme Court ruled that while the decrees were invalid, the claim for financial restitution was time-barred.

The Court determined that the Supreme Court’s decision failed to account for the dictatorship-era constraints that prevented the victims from pursuing legal recourse. It found that the Chilean state violated judicial guarantees and protection rights by upholding the prescription of the claim. The Court also reaffirmed that administrative reparation programmes cannot preclude judicial claims for damages.

As part of its ruling, the Court ordered Chile to publish the judgment, hold a public act acknowledging responsibility, ensure judicial compliance with human rights standards and provide financial compensation to the victims. The Court will supervise the full implementation of these measures.

Association

Chile faces scrutiny over human rights abuses against women defenders

In October 2024, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) reviewed Chile’s international obligations regarding women's rights. Under its eighth periodic report, the Committee expressed concerns about the excessive use of force against women human rights defenders in the context of protests, highlighting impunity in cases of sexual violence and severe injuries inflicted during the 2019 social unrest.

The report also drew attention to state-perpetrated violence against Mapuche women defenders in Biobío, La Araucanía, Los Ríos and Los Lagos. The excessive use of force by security agents against leaders in these regions remains largely undocumented due to the lack of disaggregated data. Reports indicate that Mapuche women defenders, often at the forefront of land and cultural rights movements, face systemic discrimination and repression.

Additionally, the Committee expressed concern over escalating conflicts between industries and rural and Indigenous women defenders, who encounter increased risks of violence, intimidation and criminalisation while safeguarding their lands, natural resources and traditional livelihoods.

In response, the Committee issued several recommendations, urging Chile to:

• Conduct prompt and thorough investigations into all reported human rights violations against women defenders, holding security officials, including Carabineros commanders, accountable.
• Implement gender-sensitive training for law enforcement personnel to prevent excessive use of force against peaceful protesters.
• Establish an independent investigative body to examine allegations of violence against Mapuche women and ensure effective reparations.
• Ensure that agribusiness and mining companies operating within its territory comply with environmental standards and do not obstruct access to water and other natural resources essential for the realisation of women’s rights, particularly those of rural and Indigenous women.