Chile’s Piñera announces special Prosecutor’s Office to investigate human rights issues during social crisis

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera announced Tuesday the creation of a special Prosecutor’s Office to investigate human rights issues and acknowledged that “crimes, abuses and outrages” were committed during the social crisis that began in 2019.

“The adequate defense of human rights requires solid institutions with the capacity to fulfill their functions in an autonomous and effective manner,” he asserted.

In October 2019, an unprecedented social crisis broke out in the country, which extended for a year with massive marches and resulted in some thirty deaths and thousands of wounded and accusations of human rights violations against the security forces.

Related coverage: Chile's economic activity in April soared a record 14.1% over 2020 · Strike enters fifth day at two BHP copper mines in Chile · Chile's Central Bank keeps interest rate at 0.5%, its technical minimum · Critics emerge in Chile against restrictions and quarantine in the capital

More: Chile news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief