The murder of young Francisco Martinez in the city of Panguipulli on Friday, in Los Rios region, brought about a wave of protests and violence in that town and other parts of the country.

The entire opposition also rejected the repeated violations of human rights by the police forces.

In a five-point statement, the CP expresses its solidarity with the family and relatives of the victim and denounces ‘the flagrant violation of human rights that, once again, the institution of Carabineros de Chile commits against defenseless citizens whose most minimal guarantees have been affected, such as the right to life.’

It also rejects the ‘criminal and abusive use of procedures’ that go beyond the basic standards of a police force, whose actions threaten the daily lives of people, whose rights, such as the use of public roads or work, are threatened for fear of being repressed, beaten, arrested, abused or killed.

The statement calls for ‘the total re-foundation of the police institution, which is increasingly delegitimized due to the corruption cases involving it and its autonomized police actions, without any civilian control.’

In this regard, it points out that ‘the only possibility of advancing in a healthy democracy for our country requires this re-foundation and not minor reforms, unable to modify the repressive police force’.

Finally, it demands that the Ministry of the Interior and the General Director of Carabineros take responsibility for these events, firstly, and secondly, President Sebastian Piñera and his government, ‘whose unforgettable legacy will be the repeated violations of human rights that we have come to know so well.’

The wake of Francisco Martinez is taking place today in the Puente Alto commune, in this capital city, where protests and clashes also occured in several places yesterday to repudiate the violent actions of the police and for the culprits to be prosecuted.