August 31st, 2017

Interview of the International Network for the Liberation of Political Prisoners of the World and Justice for our Martyrs to Fernando Huala, Facundo Jones Huala’s brother, political prisoner of the Mapuche community.

 "The persecution against Facundo is also a kind of learning to all who want and raise their voice in defence of the rights of oppressed peoples ..."

 

Network: We are with Fernando, Facundo Jones Huala’s brother, Mapuche detained and persecuted politician by the State. He will tell us Facundo’ situation, the reasons of his detention and the current situation of the struggle for his freedom and the appearance alive of Santiago Maldonado, within the framework of repression of the Mapuche communities.

Fernando Huala: First in order to talk about Facundo, for those who do not know much who he is we need to do a little history about him. He is a Mapuche who has turned his life to the struggle for the claim of the legitimate rights of his people. Over 15 years ago he took this decision as a way of life, and has accompanied many communities in different territorial and ceremonial processes; and it was in these spaces where he was nourished by the knowledge that characterizes him today. It is for this struggle and his strong conviction that he has been suffering for at least 10 years a political and ideological persecution by the State. He has been subjected to several media, political and judicial set ups, but from all of them he has been acquitted. This illegal state action was taken to the extreme, and today he is suffering a double judicial process, which directly violates all human rights and fundamental freedoms that he has as an individual.

The persecution towards Facundo is also a kind of study for all who wants and raises their voice in defence of the rights of oppressed peoples. That is why this denounce and the call to an accompaniment for the freedom and non-extradition of Lonko (Facundo Huala) is framed within a context of political and ideological persecution that is taking place throughout the country. That is why it is necessary, beyond all diversity, to find the points that unite us. Unfortunately there are many points in the injustice that unite us and it is necessary to strengthen those links of accompaniment to be able stop all these abuses... because if we fight alone or only when they touch me or a close one... That really does not stop completely these government’s policies. This is why we go out to ask for the accompaniment for the freedom of Facundo added to the demand for the appearance alive of Santiago Maldonado.

Santiago was aware of the injustice suffered by the Mapuche community and the rest of the native peoples. That is why he approached our community in the framework of a protest that was being developed with a partial route block on July 31. He approached consciously, with clarity of the situation and what the community is suffering, to defend the freedom and to prevent Lonko’s extradition. It is in this context that he was disappeared, so it is necessary to clarify this situation, because a forced disappearance is a very serious fact.

The disappearance of Santiago is a message, unfortunately, very perverse from the State, because they have practically no problem in making someone who fights for human rights and for the freedom of the people disappear. They are showing that they have the audacity to move their entire state structure through the different institutions to cover this act up and it is necessary that the people themselves come to reverse this situation because they are directly attacking the dignity of the Argentine people. The fundamental freedoms of the people are being attacked.

Again, it is a very perverse message, even insane, because in a so called democratic state of law, people disappear. Santiago is not the first disappeared, but we hope it will be the last one and that this will never happen again. It is that they are attacking the very life of people. We must take into account the seriousness of the current situation and therefore have an active participation in the claims of the apparition alive of Santiago. And do not forget that Santiago disappeared because he was supporting a Mapuche community in conflict with a transnational, an Italian firm called Benetton brothers, who are among the most millionaire people in the world. And it is this economic power that leads them to manage, at a mafia level, all the institutions of the province of Chubut, in this case. Then we also invite people to keep insisting on having explanations. Why did they disappear Santiago? Why was he accompanying the Mapuche community that demanded the freedom of the Lonko? We must follow that chain of why and it should not end, it must go deeper to understand the seriousness of the situation.

The moment arrives that one having a conscience of this act of injustice is forced or has the duty of an active participation in the renunciation or repudiation of these facts, because if one is said to be conscious and practically there is little or no activity that generates this is a false consciousness. We call on all people to express their solidarity with this situation. And well also demand the addition to life of Santiago, freedom to Lonko.

Red: I wanted to bring you the solidarity and the greetings of the International Network for the Political Prisoners of the World and Justice for Our Martyrs, made up of the fathers of the 43 disappeared Mexican students, Palestinian political prisoners and sectors of the Palestinian resistance and a whole set of persecuted ones that we fight together around the world. In addition to bringing you the solidarity of all of them and deepening the bonds of unity you mentioned, what message do you want to convey to all the comrades that are found around the world raising the flags for the freedom of fellow Lonko Jones Huala and the appearance alive of Santiago?

FH: We need to deepen into whys and activating is a way to help the different political prisoners in the world, because unfortunately every government, every state, has political prisoners. From our part we can contribute to reverse this situation, understanding that in this system these events are repeated throughout the world, and that is why we must understand the seriousness of the situation. We must add people day by day, to be able to change the world, in order to change this unjust reality. On our part a fraternal and libertarian greeting, which we are carrying forward and sustaining this struggle. Beyond all the deplorable facts that we have to suffer, but we also from the moment we took this fight we want to bring a positive change to humanity. But we assume that there’s a big chance that they imprison us and that they go so far as to make us disappear. So we strongly sympathize with them and well, we will keep contributing to the fight from where we are.

Network: Finally I wanted to bring the greetings to Facundo Huala by comrades who also suffer in the Patagonia the persecution and repression of the State. They are the oil workers of Las Heras, Santa Cruz, who were sentenced to life imprisonment and to prison by the previous government and that today they are still convicted.

FH: Yes, to say that unfortunately it is more than clear that unity is necessary regardless the sectors we belong to. It is necessary to seek a unity in key points of the oppressed peoples and the exploited working class. We sympathize with them who are unjustly being condemned and submitted to a judicial process. The truth is that I do not have much detail, but well, it clearly shows that it is an act of injustice and I say again: people will give a change because those who the powerful ones, those who run the country, are puppets of the big businessmen, the oil companies. And this will lead to a people mobilized and in action to be able to stop all this.