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The victim was Ernesto Llaitul, 26, according to the media reports citing the Chilean prosecutor’s office. He was the son of Hector Llaitul, a Mapuche leader described as a spokesperson for the activist group Coordinadora Arauco – Malleco.
Ernesto Llaitul was also identified as the victim in a statement on Twitter by Mijael Carbone Queipul, the leader of another local group, the Mapuche Territorial Alliance.
The Chilean police declined to comment, while the public prosecutor did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Chile’s Human Rights Institute said the shooting would “further exacerbate the complex situation in the region,” calling for a “prompt, deep and transparent investigation.
By Aislinn Laing
SANTIAGO, July 9 (Reuters) - The son of a leader of Chile s Mapuche people was shot dead by police on Friday in the restive Araucania province, local media reported, in a potential blow to attempts to improve relations between the state and indigenous people.
The shooting, reported to be during a confrontation between police and alleged intruders at a forestry company, is likely to inflame tensions in the region. Indigenous people have claimed for decades that their territory has been illegally requisitioned by agriculture and forestry companies acting with state complicity.
The victim was Ernesto Llaitul, 26, according to the media reports citing the Chilean prosecutor s office. He was the son of Hector Llaitul, a Mapuche leader described as a spokesperson for the activist group Coordinadora Arauco - Malleco.
The son of a leader of Chile’s Mapuche people has been shot dead by police in the restive Araucania province, local media reported, in a potential blow to attempts to improve relations between the state and Indigenous people.
The shooting on Friday, reported to be during a confrontation between police and alleged intruders at a forestry company, is likely to inflame tensions in the region.
Indigenous people have claimed for decades that their territory has been illegally requisitioned by agriculture and forestry companies acting with state complicity.
The victim was Ernesto Llaitul, 26, according to the media reports citing the Chilean prosecutor’s office. He was the son of Hector Llaitul, a Mapuche leader described as a spokesman for the activist group Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco.
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