“The current moment requires political and ideological strength”: María Eugenia Puelma

This was stated by the Metropolitan Core and Human Rights Officer (HR) of the PC, emphasizing that “the Communist Party has perfectly understood what the task is today and, therefore, beyond all the maneuvers of the right and anti-communism and denialism, it has absolute clarity of what is at stake politically in these October elections ”. In that context, she was confident in the results that the PC could have in the municipal election and maintained that the community has to “get more councilors and more mayors, because that way we will be able to change the things that have been in this system. so negative for our people.” She noted that she hopes that candidates for regional governors will soon be announced. In an interview, he spoke about the events that occurred in Putre, with the death of a conscript and the death of two others seriously injured, and stated that it is “necessary to change the doctrine of the uniformed institutions and put human rights at the center of training.” and education of the Chilean people.”

Ursula Fuentes Rivera. Journalist. “The century”. Santiago. 5/11/2024. María Eugenia Puelma is a social worker and over the years she has been a union and human rights (HR) leader. During the second Government of Michelle Bachelet she was regional ministerial secretary (Seremi) of Labor and Social Welfare and is currently metropolitan regional councilor (CORE) for the Santiago II constituency (Independencia, Recoleta, Santiago, Quinta Normal, Cerro Navia and Lo Prado) . She also works as the Human Rights Officer of the Communist Party, and is also a member of the Central Committee of that community.

In interview with ElSiglo.cl He specifically addressed recent human rights issues and also the electoral challenge that the Communist Party faces in the municipal and regional gubernatorial elections.

About the event that cost the life of conscript Franco Vargas in Putre, during a training march, which left two soldiers in serious health, one of whom had already suffered the amputation of a hand, and forced the hospitalization of 45 young recruits, María Eugenia Puelma stated that she “totally agree” with the statements of the head(s) of Rights Protection of the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH), David Bahamondes, who indicated that this case should be seen by civil justice, because military justice in matters of human rights violations lacks guarantees for victims.

“I am also very happy because the complaint filed by the INDH has been accepted, since what the conscripts have said about the mistreatment they received is devastating and dramatic. And this happens precisely because a democracy has not been built with the necessary respect for human rights and that punishing, undemocratic doctrine of impunity, of considering that mistreatment and torture is something normal in the training of soldiers, is still alive. Anyone, because he is an officer, because he is a Captain, because he is a Lieutenant, dares to commit this type of mistreatment during the training of conscripts. That cannot be, because we must remember that the conscripts are under the care of the State from the moment they stepped into the regiment’s entrance to do their military service,” he noted.

Likewise, the person in charge of Human Rights of the PC said that “actions like these show that our democracy is absolutely weak, and I will always say it, even if I don’t like it, that it is a democracy built without putting the issue of human rights at the center as an important factor in the political, economic and cultural development of the country. That is why these events, like the recent death of the young conscript, are repeated and repeated.”

Regarding whether the commander in chief of the Army, Javier Iturriaga, should resign, given his command responsibility, Puelma pointed out that “this country does everything based on more resignations and less resignations. And in reality the gentleman resigns, but he follows the same doctrine and another will come who will do the same. So the issue does not go there.”

In this context, he recalled that human rights groups and the PC Human Rights Commission insist that the general director of Carabineros, Ricardo Yáñez, leave and that he be formalized, but he specified that “these actions have to be accompanied by the same time for the new training that these law enforcement bodies require, because if that does not happen the same events will be repeated.”

He emphasized that “there must be a value, ethical criterion, of respecting people, institutions, organizations and, above all, they cannot commit illegal acts.”

He said that the PC’s position regarding the cases of human rights violations that occurred during the social outbreak “has been only one, from the first day, and that is to denounce these events even at the international level, because they are acts of crimes of against humanity, when carried out by agents of the State ordered by their commanders. And here the command and responsibility rested with General Yáñez, because the police forces act under express orders from their commanders.”

“We also believe that the causes of the political prisoners who have been there since October 2019 have to be reviewed, because it cannot be that these young people have been in long preventive detention for years and justice is not done,” he stated.

María Eugenio Puelma spoke about the Rules for the Use of Force (RUF) bill – which is in the joint Defense and Public Security commissions of the Senate – and the intention of the right to reinstate the rule that members of the Armed Forces and Carabineros, in the event of crimes they commit, be prosecuted in military courts. She pointed out that this is a sign from some sectors that want to impose processes of impunity and go back on the little progress that has been made on the issue.

The Human Rights Officer of the PC maintained that “international organizations have observed the Chilean State on many previous occasions, precisely for this reason. Finally, that was changed, so going back to those practices of previous times is nonsense on the right, which is obviously playing with everything to hide behind some facts and to say that ‘this is not democracy because the prosecutors are angry.’ , because the prosecutors here and the prosecutors there.’ Therefore, those who love prosecutor Torres (prosecutor to this of military justice during the dictatorship) and who want to continue their history, have no place in our society today.”

Denialism and sensitivity regarding human rights issues

In the interview, María Eugenia Puelma expressed concern about the real sensitivity that exists in the country regarding the issue of Human Rights because denialist, relativizing and normalizing expressions appear “of situations that cannot be normalized.” He warned that “governments have not done what is necessary for the topic of human rights to be taught formally in schools, not only from the link with violations, but also as a deeply democratic topic that has to do with all aspects of life”.

He indicated that “it is very necessary to stand up to those who want to maintain neoliberalism in the country, which is absolutely contrary to the human rights of workers, peasants, care of water and the environment.”

However, the metropolitan CORE highlighted that during the commemorative activities of the 50 years of the civil-military coup that occurred in 1973, there was massive participation in all regions of the country. “However, we must all take the next step and for this it is essential that there be guidance from the State of Chile, not just the Government, to put human rights at the center of the training and formal education of the people.”

Search Plan, memory sites and National Human Rights Award

How do you evaluate the development of the Search Plan for missing detainees promoted by this Government? Some people consider that it is going very slowly and that biological impunity is establishing itself, since relatives of the victims, witnesses and criminals have died.

So many years have passed since democracy returned in quotes and during all these years the Never Again was quite weak and we are seeing it now with the results of what the Army does with conscript soldiers. There are years of debt of this democracy with the Search Plan and to end impunity and have more truth and more justice.

But at the same time it is valuable that this Government has established this plan, despite the fact that many of the torturers and human rights violators are no longer here, as are some of the victims’ relatives, which is sad. But in any case it is valuable because the plan is not something transitory, but rather it is planning and a State program.

Therefore, I am very confident that this will move forward. The most operational part has already been launched, a table has been created and our groups are present. It may be that his progress has not yet been seen, but I believe that the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Luis Cordero, has been a man of his word and has demonstrated his personal interest in seeing that the plan worked. And this also depends a lot on how we strengthen ourselves, insist and function in this regard.

What is your opinion on the budget reduction for Memorial Sites that the State has made, which could influence some to stop functioning?

The objections have already been presented to the Government and I understand, in accordance with what was stated by the colleagues who are working in that area, that this will be solved and that there will be more budget. It has to be solved, there is no other answer and we have to see those results quickly. In the remainder of this week I have to meet with the colleagues who are leading this issue and find out what we are up to. But this is not going to stay like that. We are working to reverse this situation.

Furthermore, it is a very negative signal for society and evidently becomes part of an impunity that we cannot ignore, because if there are no Sites of Memory, impunity is being achieved. Furthermore, democracy cannot be a rhetorical word that is said in all speeches, if it does not have foundations and if the State does not give it the corresponding support.

A signature collection campaign is being developed to nominate the president of the Group of Executed Political Relatives (AFEP), Alicia Lira Matus, for the National Human Rights Award. What is the opinion of the Communist Party about this initiative?

The best. We greatly value our colleague Alicia Lira. She is an example of a fighter for human rights and in terms of all struggles, because she also joins the issue of the workers’ struggle and the women’s struggle. Alicia deserves to be recognized with this distinction for the entire history she has working on the issue of human rights.

Municipal and regional elections 2024

In terms of electoral contests, has the Communist Party decided on any candidate from its ranks to compete for any regional governorship?

Nothing has yet been resolved in this regard and the coalition team is defining it. This is a deeply political and important issue in our Region, the metropolitan one, given that we represent a large number of votes in it. And that is why there is a topic that is being deeply discussed. I think that soon, in these days, there will be a proposal or a definition and at a national level in the other regions the same thing will happen.

Regarding the election of mayors and councilors, what are the PC’s projections about the results that its candidates may obtain in the primaries and in the elections next October?

What we have done as a collective is find the best paintings to be able to represent ourselves in the main communes. Obviously we want to maintain what we have achieved with so much effort, but at the same time we have new challenges and in the face of them the party must get in tune with that reality. We have to get more councilors and more mayors, because that way we will be able to change the things that in this system have been so negative for our people, especially for the most vulnerable and for the workers. This represents the feeling of the PC and the sense of political project that we have.

Despite the anti-communism and denialism prevailing in recent times, the PC has obtained a high vote, such as that achieved by Karen Araya with a mandatory vote during the election of constitutional councilors, in which she obtained a female majority and second majority at the national level. Will the current communist candidates also have that seal of territorial drag in the municipal elections?

I want to say that our party is a magical party, in the best sense of the word. When the PC proposes something, unitarily, with all the strength and discipline, he gets behind the task. The Communist Party has perfectly understood what the task is today and, therefore, beyond all the maneuvers of the right and anti-communism and denialism, it has absolute clarity of what is at stake politically in these October elections. That is why I have no doubt that the magic, work and mysticism that was taught to our dear companion Karen Araya, will also be taught in all the communes to be able to specify an important, definitive path, with unity and struggle, so that Let’s get the best mayors, considering the tremendous political moment we are in.

Today the political moment requires very great political and ideological strength, because what is being played here and what the right is putting in the center of the table is precisely that cheap anti-communism, which we already experienced in the sixties. , and lying as a way of doing politics, which is very degrading. But our Party knows how to get out of this.

Solidarity with Cuba and memory of Victory Day

“Put your grain of love in Cuba” is the name of the solidarity campaign promoted by ELAM-Chile and the Gladys Marín Foundation, in order to help the island that has faced an imposed economic, financial and commercial blockade for 62 years. by the United States. As Head of Human Rights of the Communist Party, what is your appreciation of this solidarity initiative?

This campaign is fundamental and, at the same time, it is a challenge. Furthermore, it is a moral duty of the Chilean people towards Cuba for everything it has given us and supported us in difficult times. The blockade now becomes a crime against humanity, because here there is a State, which is the United States, that gives itself the right to decide which countries are democratic and which are not. And, according to him, it determines the consequences that those countries will experience. We have had an oppressive blockade of Cuba for many years and it has worsened much more. Therefore, there is an entire people who, because of their dignity and courage and for trying to have a different social model and function, are being persecuted by the main power in the world, North American imperialism. And we have the consequences that this means in the daily lives of people, in terms of food, remedies and medicine, things that have always been important for the Cuban people. For that reason, we must support and enforce this campaign with all the heart and all the affection we have for the Cuban people.

This May 9 marks two important dates to remember, “Victory Day” and the death anniversary of Katya Olevskaia, the great host of the Radio Moscow program “Listen to Chile.” What does this day mean to you?

It is a very important day that we should not overlook. At a global level, a historical event is commemorated, “Victory Day”, which is the surrender or capitulation of Germany in the Second World War to the allies, specifically to the USSR and the great patriotic war that this country fought against the Nazis. We must remember that more than 23 million Soviet people died in that war. And I am from that generation that was trained in the study of these events. Also how can we not remember these days our beloved Katya from the Radio Moscow program “Listen to Chile”. We are commemorating the fifteen years that she is no longer with us. If it had not been for her, many of us who were in Chile during the dictatorship and who later went into exile, would not have been informed or received the guidance we needed. These days we remember with all our strength and heart all the comrades who, like Katya, fought with the party against the dictatorship and together with the entire anti-fascist movement. It is necessary to remember them from the point of view of human rights and from the historical struggle in the popular mass revolution.