Brazil & Southern Cone - March 2014 (ISSN 1741-4431)

In February a local Chilean court found a Mapuche activity guilty of the murder of a retired couple in January 2013, in the southern Araucanía region, where the Mapuche lays claim to ancestral lands. The attack sparked violent unrest. While stopping short of finding the attack a terrorist act - as requested by the outgoing government led by President Sebastián Piñera - the court ruling has focused attention back onto the Mapuche issue. It has stoked calls from civil society groups like the Centro de Investigación y Defensa Sur for Chile’s new president Michelle Bachelet – who took office on 11 March - to revoke the country’s controversial anti-terrorism legislation altogether.

End of preview - This article contains approximately 427 words.

Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article

Not a Subscriber?

Choose from one of the following options

• Subscribe
• Sign up for a one-time, 14-day trial