This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.
Chile Protests: Dozens Blinded by Police Shots ¶
Protests in Chile have taken a devastating turn, with dozens of people blinded by police shots. The unrest began on October 18, with demonstrations against a rise in transport tickets.
According to the Chile Medical College, more people have suffered eye injuries during the protests in Chile than in the 'yellow vest' riots in France or the recent protests in Hong Kong.
Human rights groups and the Chile Medical College have expressed concern over the high number of eye injuries, with some cases resulting in total blindness.
One of the victims, 18-year-old student Vivanco, was hit in the eye during the first week of protests. He was running to avoid the police when eight shot pellets hit his body, one of which hit his left eye and another lodged in his face, close to his right eye.
'They wanted to cause me pain, shame, regret, fear,' Vivanco said at his house in the suburb of La Pintana near the capital Santiago. 'But they had the opposite effect. I have more rage than pain and more hatred than shame -- and it is against those who are out there shooting and mutilating people.'
Builder Cesar Callozo, 35, was also hit in the eye while playing a drum in the Plaza Italia, in central Santiago. 'There was a very nice atmosphere. All at once I felt something hit my eye and I fell to the ground,' he said, on the verge of tears as he waited for a checkup on his right eye at the Salvador Hospital in Santiago.
Dr. Mauricio Lopez, an eye trauma doctor at the hospital, described the blindings as 'an epidemic.' 'I have been working as an eye doctor for 20 years and I don't think anything like this has ever happened in the history of Chile,' he said.
The Chilean government has defended the military police against complaints by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, but has promised to 'restrict' the use of rubber bullets. President Sebastian Pinera has announced a series of reforms, but protesters continue to mobilize, calling for him to quit.
As for Vivanco, he remains committed to protesting for a more just country. 'The movement has cost me an eye,' he said. 'But I am happy.'
