In a forceful statement, the president of the Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), Lautaro Carmona, recalled this Monday the “undeniable” responsibility that former president Sebastián Piñera had in the human rights violations that occurred during the social outbreak.
The CCP leader pointed out that both the concrete measures that Piñera ordered and his statements that there was a war in Chile reflect his involvement in human rights violations during the period of social outbreak. Carmona stressed the importance of these violations not going unpunished, highlighting that they have been verified by humanitarian organizations recognized by the UN.
Let us remember that the repression by security forces of the 2019 protests against the neoliberal model and social inequalities left 40 dead and thousands injured, including more than 400 people with eye damage.
Carmona’s words arise in the midst of the controversy generated by the statements of the president, Gabriel Boric, who at Piñera’s state funeral last Friday suggested that the criticism of the former president “was sometimes excessive.” Social organizations condemned these words and described them as an act of denialism.
For Carmona, the real causes that led millions of Chileans to take to the streets are objective and profound: social discontent accumulated over years. From the “penguin rebellion” in 2011, under the first Piñera government, to the protests and national strikes that have occurred since the mid-1990s, they have been manifestations of social unrest that has been increasing.
“Criminalizing and caricaturing these protests is not recognizing the daily struggles of the national majorities for their survival, for health, education, housing, wages and decent work, as well as for the dignity of women and the elderly,” said the helmsman of the CCP.
Sebastián Piñera, who governed Chile in two periods (2010-2014 and 2018-2022), tragically died last Tuesday in an accident while piloting his helicopter over Lake Ranco, in the Los Ríos region. His political legacy, however, continues to be the subject of scrutiny and debate in the country.
