The leftist Nueva Mayoría government led by President Michelle Bachelet is under pressure to deliver on its pledge to amend Chile’s anti-terrorist law, which dates back to the military dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990). The government has responded with mixed messages to a recent spate of bomb attacks in Santiago linked to anarchist groups. Prior to taking office for a second (non-consecutive) term in March, Bachelet pledged to bring the law into line with “international standards”. Long criticised by human rights groups and even the United Nations (UN), the law came in for further censure last month in a ruling by the Costa Rica-based Inter-American court of Human Rights (CorteIDH), which ordered the Chilean State to overturn the convictions of eight indigenous Mapuche activists jailed under the controversial legislation. End of preview - This article contains approximately 1114 words.
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