PLEASE SHARE, CHILE NEEDS YOUR HELP.
On October 18th, Sebastian Piñera, President of Chile declared a state of emergency for the provinces of Santiago and Chacabuco as a response to protest against the rise in the price of public transportation. In just a few days, the situation escalated from peaceful student protests to a state of emergency in multiple regions of the country. In face of military siege, we would like to account for the following:
Soldiers have been deployed to the cities on state of emergency.
Civilians have lost the right to freely walk in the streets, and to move in groups.
A curfew has been installed, Chileans cannot get out of their houses between 9pm and 6am. The army is allowed to shoot at civilians disrespecting the measure.
Armed forces have beaten, tortured, and shot civilian protesters, among which there are women and children.
The president has declared that he is at war with his own people and has instructed both special forces and military to carry weapons that have been made for war and not to use against civilians.
So far 11 civilians have been registered dead, however the death toll is currently unclear and it will most likely rise over the course of the night.
So long as the military is out on the streets there is risk for escalation of violent conflict, death of innocent civilians, and continued violent oppression.
We urge the international community to help us pressure Sebastian Piñera to call off the state of emergency, for the immediate withdrawal of the military, and for the government to dialogue with the civil society.
All the images have been outsourced, I apologize for not providing with credit, they were a collection gathered off facebook posts, instagram posts, and whatsapp messages I have received over the course of the past 3 days.