After traveling throughout southern Chile for several weeks to investigate the recent cases of arrested documentary filmmakers in Chile in particular the strange case of arrested documentary filmmaker Elena Varela . As a documentary filmmaker from Canada with Chilean background who came to complete an investigative documentary on the problematic mining project know as “Pascua Lama”. I immediately became interested with these cases as they could have severe implications for the future of any controversial documentary projects shoot in Chile.
Elena Varela and five other was people were arrested by the Police of Investigations for being linked to the radical organization MIR and responsible for the bloody robbery to the INP office in Machalí, near Rancagua which occurred in June of the 2005 just south of Santiago.
Just last week the Socialist Party (PS) Dep. and head of the Chamber of Deputies’ Human Rights Commission Sergio Aguiló demanded on Tuesday that Interior Minister Edmundo Pérez Yoma present evidence justifying the arrest and detainment of documentary filmmaker Elena Varela. (ST) Aug 06 2008
“We need to know if there is an actual legal case here or if her (Varela´s) rights have been violated,” said Aguiló. “We want to establish why irregularities, such as those that have occurred in this case, are being accepted in our democratic system.”
Executive of Investigations and of the National Agency of Intelligence (ANI ) informed the commission of Human Rights of the Camera of Diputados that the detention of Elena Varela was in the legal norms of the law. The representative Tucapel Jiménez, the director of the National Agency of Intelligence, Gustavo Villalobos, and the Operating deputy director of the Police of Investigations, General René Castellón , stated that before the commission.
Last week, the commission had received the testimony of the lawyer and relatives of the documentary maker, who they delivered a completely different version from the facts. “ This is the strangest case I have ever worked as of today she has not been formally charged with any crime after over 3 months in jail” says her lawyer Ruben Perez .
Now after 3 months sitting in a Rancagua jail awaiting trail and not even officially charged with any crime Varela the director of the documentary “Newen Mapuche” is now “free” . As she was finally allowed to leave the Rancagua jail there was a group of press from the National regional channels waiting for an interview but she choose to leave with her family and not speak to anyone. “The same press in Chile had persecuted me and condemned me from the beginning but they only broadcast what sells not the truth” , commented Elena .
“I am finally happy to be home with my daughter and family after being held injusticely in prison for something I had no involvement . Like I have always maintained I am innocent ,an artist , I am not what they say I am . However, I will have to return to face these accusations at the end of Oct or beginning of November”.
Tomorrow in Santiago there is a Mobilization for the Freedom and Expression and Creation that was planned to draw attention for the case of Elena Varela at 1pm at PARQUE FORESTAL. When asked if she would attend she commented “I am not sure as the strict restrictions of my release demands that I return home every evening at a set time . However , I would like to thank the whole audiovisual community and others that supported me and my family this whole time.”
Elena Varela is composer and Creator of the culture of Arts in Santiago, with work in documentary films and journalism in the University Arcis, a license in music and titled in the University of Chile; She also founded the symphony Orchestra Intercultural of Children of Panguipulli.
The Prosecutor of the Ministerio Publico of Rancagua in this case Cervando Perez who served a warrant for her arrest was contacted several times but not available for comment.
Link to You Tube Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vf2BJO5tgg
Story and Photos by Christian Peña
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario