successful vaccination programme, and prohibit harmful police conduct, such as restrictions were relaxed. sexual abuse during detention and use of In July, the Constitutional Convention began less lethal weapons when policing protests. work on drafting a new Constitution. In June, President Piñera announced the Presidential and congressional elections were creation of a specialized human rights office held at the end of the year; Gabriel Boric was within the Prosecutor’s Office, but this had declared the winner of the presidential not yet been established. The reform of the election. Carabineros (Chilean police) announced in EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE 2020 had not yet been implemented. Victims of eye injuries told Amnesty Protests continued, though on a reduced International that there were serious scale due to the pandemic. Excessive use of shortcomings in the government’s force by police continued; at least two further Comprehensive Programme for Eye cases of eye injuries were recorded. Reparation. In February, a street juggler was shot dead ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS by policemen in the town of Panguipulli. The Prosecutor’s Office for the Los Ríos region After the 2019-2020 mass protests, provided evidence that the fatal shot was hundreds of people were detained and fired while the victim was on the ground and charged with crimes allegedly committed immobilized. An officer was under during protests. This triggered further investigation at the end of the year. protests demanding their release. No state In March, the National Human Rights institution provided a comprehensive list of Institute reported that investigations into over those detained, and Amnesty International 3,000 cases of human rights violations received evidence of several instances of committed during the 2019-2020 mass unjustified use of pretrial detention. In some protests had been halted. The National cases, people were held in pretrial detention Prosecutor’s Office stated that almost half of for around a year and were then acquitted or its cases had been closed without charges the case was closed for lack of evidence. being brought. In May, the National A bill to pardon those charged in connection Prosecutor instructed all prosecutors to with the mass protests was before Congress. review their cases and consider reopening them if minimum investigative standards had INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS not been met. In March, the Inter-American Commission on Some investigations did make progress Human Rights began examining the during the year, including those relating to admissibility of a petition submitted by three the injuries sustained by Gustavo Gatica and Mapuche men, José Tralcal, Luis Tralcal and Fabiola Campillai1 and those into the deaths José Peralino, convicted in an unfair trial in of Manuel Rebolledo and Kevin Gómez. connection with a fire in which two people At least six lawsuits filed against President died. Piñera and other current and former In May, the Supreme Court confirmed the government officials for crimes against sentences of seven former policemen and a humanity under Chilean law were being lawyer involved in the death of Camilo investigated by the Valparaíso Regional Catrillanca, a young Mapuche man, and the Prosecutor. In April, lawsuits were filed injuries sustained by a teenage boy who was against high-ranking police officers for failing with him, and in obstructing the investigation to take action to stop the pattern of injuries to into the case. The two had been shot at by protesters. police during a pursuit of suspects in a At the end of the year, Congress was robbery case, in which they were not debating several bills to simplify access to involved. Three of the former police officers civil reparations for victims and expressly were set to serve prison terms. Amnesty International Report 2021/22 123