This archive report was first published on 22 December 2019.
December 22, 2019, marked a significant day in Chile's history, as the country grappled with the most severe protests since the end of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship nearly 30 years ago.
International rights organisations have been vocal about the police crackdown on the protests, raising concerns about human rights violations.
Prosecutors identified Mauricio Carrillo, a military policeman, as the driver of a vehicle that crushed 20-year-old Oscar Perez, who is being treated in hospital for a fractured pelvis.
The judge in the case noted that it could not be determined whether the driver acted intentionally.
Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director for Human Rights Watch, called for those responsible for excesses to be held accountable, stating, "The material perpetrators and those in command of the operation must be fired and face criminal penalties." He added, "If that does not happen, the abuses will continue."
The UN rights office had earlier accused the police and army of violating international norms and standards for crowd control and use of force.
Tragically, the death toll in Chile's protests has risen to 26, with two charred bodies found in Valparaiso, in the west of the country, in a shop that was set on fire in November.
