Mapuche Political Prisoner from Puerto Choque Released from Prison

  
Today, the Marshal Court of Concepcion confirmed the release of Cesar Parra Leiva, under 60 thousand pesos bail ($130 CAN).
 
Originally from the Esteban Yebilao Community of the area of Puerto Choque, he was incarcerated in the El Manzano detention centre, from Friday October 17 of last year, when he was detained by repressive groups before the resistance of the Choque communities within the reclaimed estates against forestry companies.
 
It was then that he along with his brother Norberto, were transferred from their home via helicopter to the city of Concepcion. The detention was due to an alleged saw attack against National Police, when on the contrary it was he who suffered from injury from the police, in July 2008. His brother spent many months in the Lebu detention centre for "reception of a stolen saw," an accusation that has not been proven.
 
Background
 
On Tuesday, July 10th, 2008, a huge contingent of Carabineros (Chilean National Police Officers) militarized the area of Choque and were deployed close to households, when they began to fire tear gas into the homes of complete families, as communities denounced at the time.
 
Cesar was working in in brother's estate when out of nowhere, Police men begin firing at them. The peñi [brother] ran away back to his home where his family was hidden from shots being fired by police. It was in that moment when he received a gun shot to the chest, leaving him injured. He was transferred to the Cañete hospital where charges were laid on "attacking police with a saw," promising a quick trip unto the Military Prosecutor.
Four months passed and the Choque and Las Huellas Communities strongly resisted any attempts of removal by the military contingent of the Chilean State, posted throughout the entire area of Lleu-Lleu. Cesar was the only person that the anti-Mapuche prosecutors could present as a result of their repressive work.
 
In this sense, there were many visits from different prosecutors dedicated exclusively to the "Mapuche Conflict" such as Miguel Angel Velasquez and Mario Elgueta in the Concepcion detention center, who interrogated Cesar on the movement his community and others in the surrounding area had been organizing for the reclamation of territorial spaces.
 
Set-Up
 
The only thing that maintained Cesar Parra in preventive prison, was the statement made by the Police Officer who accused him of the attack, where he points out he had to "jerk his body to avoid the saw." It should be stated that the witness did not suffer any injury, however, his precarious statement was enough to keep an innocent person in prison for six months.
 
Due to the numerous pellet impacts that kept him in Cañete hospital, the defence will solicit a series of proceedings to clarify the facts, in order to demonstrate cesar's innocence and the set-up he has been victim to.
 
Pais Mapuche
 
Distributed by: The Women's Coordinating Committee Chile-Canada
email: wccc_98@hotmail.com