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Issue 1
(Fall 2007)
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Northwestern University Journal of International Human Rights
The Misuse of Terrorism Prosecution in Chile: The Need
for Discrete Consideration of Minority and Indigenous Group Treatment in Rule
of Law Analyses
I. Introduction
¶ 1 Chile's
misuse of the label of terrorism should not shield the government from
accountability for human rights violations against the indigenous Mapuche. Despite significant progress in its
transition to democracy, the prosecution of Mapuche under the Prevention of
Terrorism Act ("Terrorism Act"), for acts not internationally considered to be
terrorism, has caused significant erosion of rule of law principles in Chile. Rule of law principles continue to emerge as
important barometers for national compliance with international human
rights. Among the specific purposes of
ensuring national adherence to rule of law principles is to protect minority
groups from any discriminatory will of the government. Minority and indigenous groups are most vulnerable
to breakdowns in the rule of law, and governments have recently exploited their
vulnerability through counterterrorism measures. Concurrently, rule of law analyses are
growing as mechanisms to promote a balance between counterterrorism and the
protection of human rights. The
terrorism prosecution of Mapuche in Chile thus exemplifies the need for
discrete consideration of the treatment of minority and indigenous groups as
part of rule of law analyses.
II. The Mapuche
Conflict in Chile
¶ 2 Since the arrival of the conquistadors to South America, the Mapuche nation has resisted settlement
of their territory and has fought to maintain their way of life.1 The Mapuche initially succeeded in fending
off the Spanish and then the Chileans.2 However, shortly after Chilean independence,
the Mapuche were subject to a thirty-year military campaign into their
territory ending with annexation in 1883.3 Following their annexation, the Mapuche were
placed on reservations and by the 1920s were left with only a fragment of their
ancestral lands.4
A. History of Land Conflict
¶ 3 Chilean government interest in Mapuche ancestral
lands has changed over the past few decades.
Since the fall of Augusto Pinochet in 1990, the Chilean government has
turned to free market policies to promote economic development throughout the
country. Since the 1970s, the government
has subsidized firms in the forestry sector which has enabled rapid expansion
of commercial tree plantations in the Araucanía region.5 In 2000, it was estimated that 1.5 million
hectares of ancestral Mapuche territory had been planted with commercial
trees. Throughout this period, the
Mapuche nation has fiercely resisted the use of their ancestral land, and the
relationships between the Mapuche communities, the government and forestry
companies have continually deteriorated.6 Even with the establishment of the National
Corporation for Indigenous Development ("CONADI") in 1993,7
conflict has continued between the Chilean government and the Mapuche
communities. In 1998, in an effort to
coordinate their resistance, the Mapuche nation formed the Arauco Malleco
Coordinating Group of Communities in Conflict ("CAM")
to support all Mapuche communities involved in conflicts over land.8 Protest activities undertaken by the CAM on
behalf of the Mapuche nation have ranged from traditional non-violent
demonstrations - such as marches, hunger-strikes and occupation of public
buildings - to forceful acts, including blocking roads, occupation of disputed
land, felling trees, and setting fire to manor homes, woods, crops, and
machinery.9 Leaders of the CAM
have admitted to engaging in violent actions in "defense of the territory and
self-defense of the communities."10 However, despite the violent nature of some
acts, CAM actions have been directed at
resisting encroachment on their lands, not causing physical injury or death to
persons. To date, the only person killed
as a result of the land conflict has been a Mapuche; in 2002, a 17-year old
Mapuche and CAM sympathizer was shot and
killed by a police officer during a land protest.11
B. Mapuche Prosecution under
Terrorism Act
¶ 4 As incidents in opposition to land development
mounted, the Chilean government came under increasing pressure to show results
prosecuting the Mapuche.12 Since 2001, the Chilean government has
responded by employing the Terrorism Act to prosecute Mapuche defendants. Before 2001, significant efforts had been
made to prosecute Mapuche for violent incidents with ordinary criminal charges
such as arson, theft, and land grabbing.13 However, the government soon claimed that it
was too difficult for prosecutors to convict Mapuche under the criminal code
because of the procedural protections for defendants.14 Therefore, since 2001, the government has
employed a modified form of the Terrorism Act that was first introduced and
passed into law by the Pinochet government in 1984.15 The use of the Terrorism Act enables the
Chilean government to implement different procedures than those in the ordinary
criminal code, including several procedures that are arguably international due
process and fair trial violations. Specifically, the law has enabled the
government to gain prosecutorial advantage through due process restrictions
prohibited by the ordinary criminal code.16 For example, those charged with terrorist
crimes can be subjected to lengthy pre-trial detention, more invasive
investigation and testimony by "faceless" witnesses.17 Furthermore, conviction for terrorism
significantly increases sentences and strips significant civil and political
rights.18 The use of the Terrorism Act has enabled Chile to
convict dozens of Mapuche for terrorist crimes.19
III. Erosion of
the Rule of Law in Chile
¶ 5 The prosecution of Mapuche for terrorism marks a
significant erosion of the rule of law in Chile. At its most basic, the rule of law refers to
a legal system that exhibits the following principles: (1) the system is based
on laws that have been legitimately enacted and publicly promulgated to guide
people's conduct; (2) the laws impose meaningful restraints on all members of
society including the government; and (3) the laws are equally enforced and
independently adjudicated. Although the
wide variety of juridical beliefs and conceptions of sociopolitical order
throughout the world give rise to numerous conceptions of the rule of law,
these basic threshold principles have been well established.20 Several rule of law principles are codified
in international treaty law.21 Furthermore, basic rule of law principles
have arguably become customary international law over the last half-century. Proponents of the rule of law as an
analytical tool cite its basic principles as fundamentally necessary for
democracy and a market economy to flourish.
A rule of law system serves the development of democracy by ensuring
independent enforcement of fundamental rights, including property rights and
civil and political liberties.22 However, even in a non-democratic system, the
rule of law may be able to ensure the protection of minorities from majority
will.23 Regardless of the form of government, without
the rule of law, government officials are not bound by agreed standards of
conduct, and the dignity and equality of all people is not affirmed. Furthermore, without the rule of law, the
ability of all people to seek redress for grievances and fulfillment of
societal commitments can be arbitrarily limited.24
¶ 6 The Chilean government has arbitrarily limited
the rights of Mapuche through its misuse of the Terrorism Act. Although the Terrorism Act was arguably
legitimately enacted and promulgated,25
the government's misuse of the law to advance its economic policy interests has
resulted in erosion of the rule of law.
¶ 7 The Chilean government has eroded rule of law
principles through (1) its failure to maintain an independent and impartial
judiciary; (2) its unequal application of the law; and (3) its use of military
tribunals for civilian cases.
A. Lack of Judicial Independence
¶ 8 The Chilean judiciary has not acted
independently in adjudicating Mapuche terrorism cases. Judicial independence is fundamental to the
rule of law and is codified in international treaty law.26 An independent judiciary decides matters
before them impartially, on the basis of facts and in accordance with the law,
without any direct or indirect restrictions, improper influences, pressures,
threats or interferences, from any source or for any reason.27 Independent judges are not influenced by
personal interests or relationships, the identity of the parties to a case, or
external economic or political pressures.28 Furthermore, an independent judiciary's
decisions once rendered are respected.29 Judicial independence thus serves to maintain
rule of law principles and check the undue accretion of power of other branches
of government.
¶ 9 The Supreme Court of Chile has demonstrated a
lack of judicial independence in their decisions regarding Mapuche defendants.
The Supreme Court has reversed Mapuche acquittals based on legal reasoning not
applied to similarly situated defendants and has intervened to remove a Judge
that had rejected the prosecution's treatment of an arson attack as a terrorist
crime. The Supreme Court decisions are
likely a result of both judicial bias and external political pressures to
promote the Chilean government's economic policy interests. High-profile members of government have been
outspoken about the importance of dismantling the Mapuche leadership through
judicial action to promote economic development in the region.30 The government's promotion of judicial action
has resulted in inappropriate external influence on the Supreme Court's
purportedly independent review and erosion of the rule of law.
¶ 10 One likely result of external pressure was the
Supreme Court's intervention into the local investigation of five Mapuche for
setting fire to a pine plantation on the Poluco Pidenco estate, land that
belongs to a Chilean logging company.31 In the middle of the investigation, the Juez de garantía32
Nancy Germany rejected the prosecution's treatment of the arson attack as a
terrorist crime and denied prosecution requests for witness protection and
anonymity. Judge Germany refused to incorporate
arguments and evidence into the indictment that were not presented at the
formalization hearing.33 The Temuco Appeals Court upheld her decision,
but in the following months high-ranking members of the Chilean government
spoke out in opposition to Judge Germany's decisions. In April 2003, a Senator for the Araucanía
region and an outspoken advocate for terrorism prosecution of Mapuche, decried
Judge Germany's
decision.34 Furthermore, in October 2003, the Attorney
General reportedly met the then-president of the Supreme Court to protest Judge
Germany's
actions.35 Also, on a routine visit to Temuco
in 2003, a Supreme Court Justice made a special trip to a neighboring town to
meet with and berate Judge Germany
for her handling of the case.36 Therefore, the outcome of the Poluco Pidenco
case was likely not based on independent judicial review. Instead, the case was likely affected by both
direct and indirect external pressure.
The Chilean government sought to pacify the Araucanía region by
dictating the judiciary's interpretation and application of the law.
¶ 11 The Supreme Court of Chile's decision in the
Poluco Pidenco case was likely affected by both political pressure and the
Justices' own lack of impartiality regarding the Mapuche. In the months following the Chilean
government's pressure on the courts, the local prosecutor in the Pidenco case
filed a disciplinary complaint against Judge Germany. After the Temuco Appeals Court ruled the
complaint inadmissible, the prosecutor sent the complaint to the Supreme
Court. The Supreme Court initially also
ruled the complaint inadmissible, however, two months later, the Supreme Court
reversed its own decision and stated that Judge Germany had overstepped her
powers in rejecting the prosecutor's terrorism case. The Supreme Court then ordered the terrorist
charges reinstated and removed Judge Germany from the case.37 The Court invoked a statute that allows the
Supreme Court to correct the faults and abuses that any judges or judicial
officials commit in the course of their duties.38 Therefore, the Supreme Court's decision was
arguably consistent with an oversight function provided by Chilean law. However, given the political pressure to
intervene in favor of the prosecution, the Supreme Court's actions should not
be viewed in isolation. Although the
Court was able to find a statute that could be applied to the circumstance
involved, the political context of its ruling, its disregard for Judge Germany's
reasoning based on the criminal code, and its own initial upholding of the Appeals Court's
rejection of the complaint, all serve to demonstrate its lack of judicial
impartiality and independence. Instead
of ruling on the merits of Judge Germany's decision, the Court
invoked a statute unrelated to the decision at issue. After the terrorist charges were reinstated,
in August 2004, the five Mapuche members of the CAM
were sentenced to ten years for "terrorist arson."39
¶ 12 The Supreme Court's lack of independence and
impartiality has not been isolated to the Pidenco case and is further
demonstrated by its decision in the trial of the lonkos.40 In a conflict over land, two lonkos from Araucanía were accused in
December 2001 of setting fire to a well-known pine forest that belongs to a
former agriculture minister and Supreme Court Justice who is a leading
spokesman for property holders in the region.41 The lonkos
were arrested and charged under the Terrorism Act. After over a year of pre-trial detention, the
trial court acquitted them of "terrorist attacks and threats" because of
insufficient evidence to proceed after statements made by "faceless" witnesses
produced by the prosecution were set aside.42 On appeal, the Supreme Court ordered a
retrial, upholding the prosecutor's claim that the trial court had not stated
clearly its grounds for rejecting prosecution evidence.43 The Supreme Court overruled the trial court's
findings, made over twelve days in public proceedings, in favor of its
determination made after only a few hours of hearings.
¶ 13 The Supreme Court's hasty conclusion, that is not
easily reconciled with a fundamental principle of both Chilean and
international law,44
is suspicious given the sociopolitical context of the case involved.45 As written in dissent by one of the five
Supreme Court judges, the Court's order violated the presumption of innocence
canon adopted by Chile's
new criminal code.46 The apparent lack of impartiality is further
amplified by a comparison of the Supreme Court's reasoning in a different
annulment appeal. In August 2003, the
Supreme Court ruled against an appeal requesting annulment of a conviction in a
rape case. The Court applied the
reasoning of the dissent in the lonkos case,
stating that courts are not required to substantiate the grounds for rejecting
prosecution evidence in such detail as is required for conviction.47 Although the circumstances of the appeals
were different, the circumstances and facts of the cases are not material to
the comparison. Instead, the comparison
demonstrates that the same Supreme Court applied a different standard, one that
is hard to reconcile with Chilean law, when ruling on the Mapuche acquittal. The Court therefore arguably failed to act as
an impartial judicial body, allowing the sociopolitical context of the Mapuche
conflict to influence its application of the law.
B. Un-equal Application of the Law
against Mapuche Defendants
¶ 14 The unequal application of the law is further
evidenced by inconsistencies between prosecutions of ordinary criminal
defendants and the Mapuche defendants prosecuted under the Terrorism Act. Rule of law principles dictate that laws are to
be equally enforced. Furthermore, under
the new Chilean criminal code enacted in 2000, several due process guarantees
were enacted to preserve the equal application of the law. The code established a Juez de garantia, a judge responsible for supervising the fairness
of the criminal investigation and ensuring that defendants are not held in
detention unless strictly necessary. Moreover,
under the criminal code, defendants may request their release pending trial and
have their pre-trial detention periodically reviewed.48 However, the guarantees available to ordinary
criminal defendants under the new code are often denied to Mapuche accused of
terrorist crimes. Under the Terrorist
Act, the public prosecutor is allowed to conduct criminal investigations in
secret for long periods; pretrial release can be denied for months, sometimes
for longer than the eventual sentence received; defendants are not allowed to
know the names of many of their accusers; and judges are given wider powers to
allow prosecutors to search for evidence than in ordinary criminal
investigations.49 Although Chile has made strides in providing
equal protection of the law to accused criminals, defendants accused of
homicide, rape and other ordinary crimes are afforded more procedural
protections than Mapuche accused of terrorist crimes.
C. Use of Military Courts for Civilian
Cases
¶ 15 Another violation of rule of law principles is Chile's
continued use of military courts for civilian cases. International human rights bodies have
consistently rejected the use of military tribunals to try civilians under any
circumstances.50 Specifically, Chile's use of military tribunals
for civilian purposes violates the rule of law principles embodied in Article
14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ("ICCPR").51 Chilean military courts do not predictably
guide people's conduct, do not impose meaningful restraints on the government,
do not apply the law equally or impartially, and thus do not abide by rule of
law principles.
¶ 16 Civilians who are accused of crimes against
police officers, or are plaintiffs in cases of police abuse, are brought before
military courts. Chilean law requires
all complaints against police to be investigated by military prosecutors and to
be heard in largely secret written procedures by military courts. Furthermore, military judges do not have
formal legal training and are subject to military chain-of-command.52 Military chain-of-command enables external
pressure and inhibits judicial independence.
Also, the use of military tribunals has enabled de facto impunity for police charged with abuse against Mapuche.53
¶ 17 Because of the continuing land conflict, Mapuche
civilians have repeatedly gone before military courts.54 However, despite their frequent appearances
in military courts, Mapuche are not the only civilians under the jurisdiction
of military courts. Nevertheless, the
jurisdiction of military courts over all civilians does not preclude Chile's
violation of rule of law principles. In
fact, Chile
arguably violates the international human rights of all civilian defendants
brought before military courts.55 Furthermore, even in an analysis limited to a
national scope, the procedures applied in military courts violate the
fundamental rule of law principle of equal application of the law. The use of military courts has precluded the
provision of equal due process guarantees to those provided for similar charges
brought in ordinary criminal courts.
D. Misusing the Label of Terrorism
to Rule by Law
¶ 18 Chile
is using the law and anti-terrorism language to effectuate its desired economic
policies. Instead of ensuring the equal
protection and application of the rule of law, the government is ruling by law by differentiating the
application and interpretation of the law based on the parties involved. The government has discriminatorily restricted
judicial protections provided to Mapuche defendants through its use of the
Terrorism Act.56 Moreover, the government is using the label
of terrorism as a pretext to maintain a facade of rule of law as it violates
basic rule of law principles. The
government's use of anti-terrorism language has been vital in shaping the
sociopolitical discourse regarding the land conflict.57 The discourse has enabled the government to prosecute
and convict Mapuche for terrorism based on actions that, if committed by other
Chileans, would likely constitute ordinary crimes.58
¶ 19 However, despite any transgressions with regard
to the Mapuche, Chile
is widely regarded to have achieved significant progress in its transition to
democracy and adherence to rule of law principles.59 Chile has made significant strides
developing judicial institutions and codes consistent with international
standards. Nevertheless, looking merely
at the establishment of formal structures and revised codes fails to acknowledge
that the rule of law is also an issue of norm-creation.60 The rule of law arguably comprises a complex
relationship between both formal legal structures and sociopolitical norms and
values.61 Inevitably, a society with an effective institutional
framework will only exhibit the rule of law if the internal legal discourse is
also consistent with rule of law principles.62 One of the law's, and thus the government's,
functions is to provide a framework for settling disputes by categorizing
actions as types of violence, and by giving the types of violence meaning in
the cultural fabric of society.63 Therefore, even if an institutional structure
that is procedurally consistent with rule of law principles is established,
there remains the danger that the government can rule by law to achieve desired policy ends. A government can rule by law by controlling
the internal legal discourse and categorizing criminal actions to achieve the
government's discriminatory policy interests.
¶ 20 The Chilean government has ruled by law by
effectively attaching different criminal labels to the same actions undertaken
by individuals in different ethnic groups.
The Chilean government has attached the label of terrorism to Mapuche
acts of arson and community organizing.64 Thus, the government has attached a label of
terrorism to acts that have not been internationally recognized as terrorist
actions.65 Every terrorist crime in the Terrorist Act
besides arson involves a direct threat to human life, liberty, or physical
integrity. The detonation of explosive
or incendiary substances, the only other terrorist crime in the Act whose
underlying conduct does not directly imply a threat to life, liberty or
physical integrity, is required by the Act to "endanger life" to be considered
terrorism.66 Terrorist arson is not qualified by the
requirement that it endanger life, and thus arson as broadly constructed by the
Act does not meet the requisite level of gravity to be a terrorist crime based
on international definitions of terrorism.67 In Chile, arson is also included as a crime
against property in the ordinary criminal code.68 Thus, by prosecuting Mapuche actions as
"terrorist arson" and "illicit terrorist association," the government has
attached both the national and international connotative significance of
terrorism to Mapuche conduct that has not targeted human life. Once labeled as terrorists, even legitimate
social protest actions taken by Mapuche are likely tainted with socially
detrimental meaning. Chile has thus portrayed the Mapuche
as not only committing socially detrimental actions, but committing actions
that are a threat to democratic values and international peace and security.69 The government has been able to control the
sociopolitical discourse by supplementing their unequal application of the
institutional judicial framework with the rhetorical use of terrorist language.70 This combination has served to misrepresent
arguably legitimate social protests as a threat to national and international
security, and legitimize the government's use of the anti-terrorism law.71
¶ 21 The unequal application of the law combined with
the rhetorical use of terrorist language has also precluded the Mapuche from a
framework that allows for productive sociopolitical discourse. Chile's use of the terrorist label
has not only reinforced prejudices against the Mapuche,72
but has effectively prevented them from engaging in the judicial and
sociopolitical discourse that a rule of law framework is meant to enable.
¶ 22 Nevertheless, despite prejudices that may
develop against offending groups, the law in any society must attach criminal
labels to violent actions to maintain order.
Chile
argues that the terrorism prosecutions of Mapuche are appropriate to maintain
order and security.73 The Mapuche nation has indeed resorted to
violent actions that must be criminally prosecuted, and discretion has long
been afforded to national sovereigns to determine appropriate measures to
maintain domestic order. Furthermore,
despite many international definitions on terrorism, there is no single
consensus definition.74 Thus, Chile arguably is properly using
its discretion as a national sovereign in defining and prosecuting
terrorism. Moreover, Mapuche actions
arguably constitute terrorism under international definitions.75 However, the absence of a consensus
international definition does not mean that terrorism is an indescribable form
of violence or that states are not subject to restrictions in developing
responses.76 Derogation from international human rights
treaty obligations must only occur in times of "public emergency" that
"threaten the life of the nation."77 Furthermore, derogation based on national
security must be viewed in the context of other feasible remedies to the
Mapuche land conflict. Even if Chile
is afforded discretion on how to best preserve domestic security, the
government must not derogate from fundamental human rights as prescribed by the
ICCPR, including the international restriction on discrimination based solely
on ethnic origin.78 Therefore, the unequal application of the law
against Mapuche defendants would likely remain a violation of Chile's international
obligations.
¶ 23 Nevertheless, Chile's great strides in
transitioning to democracy and developing rule of law institutions arguably
should preclude international criticism of any rule of law erosion. The international community should arguably
defer to Chile's
sovereign discretion because a vast majority of country practices have been
found to conform to international rule of law principles.79
However, critical rule of law analyses
designed to ensure human rights protections should not only be applied to
governments exhibiting large-scale rule of law breakdowns. In fact, the Chilean government's widespread
respect for, and adherence to, rule of law principles, arguably makes its
willful disregard of rule of law protections with regard to Mapuche even more
irreconcilable. The government has had
opportunities to promote reconciliation and discourse in the Mapuche conflict
consistent with rule of law principles.
In 2002-2003, a special Chilean Senate committee met for more than a
year to discuss the public security aspect of the Mapuche land conflict. Fifteen prominent landowners that had
suffered attacks testified to the committee, but only one Mapuche
representative was invited.80 Additionally, CONADI, the mechanism designed
to mediate between government and Mapuche land interests, has been ultimately
controlled by the government's economic interests.81
IV. Potential Remedies for the Mapuche
¶ 24 Chile's
failure to adhere to rule of law principles, that has enabled violation of
Mapuche human rights, could be addressed in both national and international
fora. However, because the nature of the
violations involve a domestic failure to afford procedural safeguards to
Mapuche, traditional domestic legal remedies are likely not a practical
solution. Therefore, non-judicial
domestic remedies and international quasi-judicial remedies are likely the best
current remedial options to address Mapuche grievances.
A. Domestic Remedial Options
¶ 25 Over
the past decade, the international community has attempted to press the Chilean
government into amending the Terrorism Act and reforming their treatment of the
Mapuche nation.82 As
evidenced by the terrorism prosecutions, the Indigenous Peoples Act of 199383 does not provide adequate protection for
Mapuche human rights. In the past few
years, a national and international campaign lobbying for the release of
Mapuche imprisoned for terrorism urged the Chilean President to find a
solution. The lobbying campaign elicited
a government promise to put top priority on a bill that would have set the
prisoners free. However,
in September 2006, after several
delays, the Senate voted against the bill.84 Despite
the bill's defeat, the campaign demonstrated a growing national and
international recognition of the failures of the Chilean state with regard to
the Mapuche.85 Using
this momentum, civil society in Chile,
with the support of sympathetic members of Parliament and international NGOs,
should continue to push for various legislative reforms. Ideally, legislative reforms would include
constitutional reform to explicitly recognize indigenous rights, and
ratification of the International Labor Organization's ("ILO") Convention 169
on Indigenous Rights.86 Chile is the
only country in the Latin American region with a sizeable indigenous population
that has not ratified the ILO Convention.87 Also,
Human Rights Watch has made further recommendations for domestic legislative
reform to address the abuse of the Terrorism Act by the Chilean government.88
¶ 26 However,
domestic legislative changes, even if made, remain unlikely to effectuate real
change for the Mapuche without adherence to rule of law principles and a
fundamental change in the sociopolitical characterization of the Mapuche
conflict. Until the normative
characterization of Mapuche grievances changes, legislative reform may not be
able to overcome the stigma of terrorism.
Although perhaps not achievable through discrete legislative reform,
actions should be taken to promote both judicial and sociopolitical frameworks
for public discourse regarding the conflict.89 Initial
progress in re-characterizing the Mapuche conflict can be achieved by
institutional adherence to rule of law principles. Furthermore, the government should publicly
recognize that despite the criminal nature of some Mapuche actions, many of
their protest actions are lawful and in response to legitimate social demands.90
B. International Remedial Options
¶ 27 International
human rights bodies may offer Mapuche individuals a forum to address their
grievances. The Inter-American system
has the capacity to handle individual complaints against state parties to the
American Convention on Human Rights.91
Additionally, Mapuche could file individual complaints against Chile
to the United Nations ("UN") Human Rights Committee.92
¶ 28 The
Mapuche could file a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee claiming that Chile has
breached its obligations under the ICCPR.
Specifically, the Mapuche could rely on the rule of law protections
provided by Article 14 and the non-discrimination provisions of Article 2.93 However,
the Human Rights Committee has no powers of enforcement and thus even if it did
hear the Mapuche complaint, it could do little more than condemn the Chilean
government.
¶ 29 A case brought
in the Inter-American system may have more promise. In a case before the Inter-American Court, the Mapuche could
claim a breach of Chile's
obligations under the American Convention on Human Rights. The Mapuche could argue that Chile has
violated both the fair trial provisions of Article 8 and the non-discrimination
provisions of Article 1.94 Also,
the Mapuche could argue that both the prosecution for terrorism and the use of
military tribunals constitute violations of the Convention. Chile would likely argue that their
prosecutions were necessary to preserve order and security. Furthermore, Chile would argue that the
Terrorist Act was lawfully enacted.
However, the Mapuche could rebut Chile's argument on two
grounds. First, the Mapuche could rely
on the Inter-American Convention against Terrorism that provides that
counterterrorism measures must be carried out with full respect for the rule of
law, human rights and fundamental freedoms.95 Even if
the Court finds that Mapuche actions constitute terrorism, the Inter-American Court
has stated firmly that, even in emergency situations, a State may not derogate
from rule of law protections.96
Secondly, Chile
may not rely on domestic law to breach international obligations. The pacta sunt servanda principle of international law, codified in the
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, holds that States must
execute in good faith the treaties they adhere to and the international
obligations arising from them.97 The
Inter-American Court of Human Rights has explicitly invoked the principle,
stating that: "[p]ursuant to international law, all obligations
imposed by it must be fulfilled in good faith; domestic law may not be invoked
to justify non-fulfillment."98 Therefore, Chile can arguably not rely on the
Terrorist Act to violate their international obligations.
¶ 30 Nevertheless,
whether a Mapuche complaint would reach the Inter-American Court depends on a
referral by the Inter-American Commission.99 Given
the large number of human rights violations that persist in the region,100 and the difficulties of enforcement, the
Inter-American system may not be able to provide relief to the Mapuche. However, the Inter-American Court has had success
engendering change in Chilean domestic laws.101
Furthermore, the Inter-American Commission has shown considerable
interest in indigenous rights issues. In
July 2006, the Commission held a thematic hearing regarding the manner in
which several OAS countries violated the collective property rights of
indigenous peoples with respect to their lands and natural resources.102 Therefore, the Inter-American system may
provide a forum to redress Mapuche grievances and to pressure Chile to take
domestic action to adhere to rule of law principles and protect Mapuche rights.
V. The Need For Discrete Consideration of Indigenous and
Minority Groups in Rule of Law Analyses
¶ 31 Although the Inter-American system could provide
a forum for Mapuche grievances, it may not be able to generally deter further
abuses of indigenous rights under the label of counterterrorism. Rule of law analyses are mechanisms that
could serve to publicize violations of indigenous and minority group rights,
and generate international discourse on the importance of protecting such
groups despite the exigencies of counterterrorism. Rule of law analyses measure the extent to
which a country adheres to rule of law principles in various sectors of
society. The role of human rights in
national counterterrorism policy has entered rule of law discourse, and there
is substantial acknowledgement in the international community that the "war on
terror" threatens rule of law principles and thus should be monitored in this
context. The "war on terror"
has effectively created a continual circumstance of crisis, allowing states to
erode rule of law principles on the premise of maintaining national
security. In the "war on terror,"
as in past times of crisis, the emphasis on national order and security has
involved curtailment of human rights.103 In this context, the indiscriminate use of the
terrorism label has provided cover for many countries trying to escape their
human rights obligations and engage more easily in direct or indirect persecution
of minority groups.104 However, in rule of law analyses to this
point, despite consideration of the need to balance human rights and
counterterrorism, there has been very little discrete consideration of the
precarious position of indigenous and minority groups.
A. Indigenous and Minority Groups
are Most Vulnerable to Rule of Law Erosions Resulting from Counterterrorism Measures
¶ 32 Indigenous and minority groups are often the
first to suffer from erosions of the rule of law as a result of
counterterrorism measures.105 As evidenced by the Mapuche example in
Chile,
use of the terrorism label can serve to disguise the persecution of minority
groups as legitimate actions within a rule of law system. The situation in Chile
is not isolated, and in Latin America
"terrorist" has often replaced "communist" as means to justify suspension of
basic rights of indigenous people and to avoid dialogue over issues such as land and resources.106 Furthermore, countries around the world have
used terrorism language as a pretext to persecute minority groups.107 Given the growing prominence of rule of law
analyses as indicators of human rights compliance, and the concurrent increase
of counterterrorism measures that erode rule of law principles and enable human
rights abuse of minority and indigenous groups, discrete consideration should
be given to the treatment of such groups in rule of law analyses.
B. Rule of Law Analyses Recognize
the Need to Balance Human Rights with Counterterrorism Policy
¶ 33 Rule of law analyses have the potential to
generate significant international recognition of the need to protect minority
and indigenous groups from misuse of the label of terrorism. The rule of law continues to emerge as a
fundamental indicator of judicial development and the protection of human
rights. Furthermore, rule of law
principles have been advanced as essential to preserving democracy over the
long-term.108 Moreover, even in countries where democracy may
not be feasible, the rule of law has been cited as an important benchmark for
ensuring human rights protections.109 Adherence to the rule of law has been
specifically cited as a necessary safeguard to prevent human rights abuses in
the name of counterterrorism efforts110
and prominent international jurists recognize that a balance must be struck
between counterterrorism measures and adherence to the rule of law.111 In 2005, the United Nations Expert Seminar on
Democracy and the Rule of Law recognized that recent responses to terrorism
have resulted in erosion of rule of law principles and human rights violations,
and emphasized that states must uphold their human rights obligations through
adherence to the rule of law when confronting terrorism.112 Additionally, the International Commission of
Jurists, in its 2004 Declaration on Upholding Human Rights and the Rule of Law
in Combating Terrorism, stressed that
states must adhere strictly to the rule of law in adopting measures aimed at
suppressing acts of terrorism. Furthermore,
the Commission concluded that a mechanism should be established to monitor the
relationship between counter-terrorism and human rights.113
C. Rule of Law Analyses have thus far
Failed to Discretely Consider Treatment of Minority and Indigenous Groups
¶ 34 Despite growing recognition that rule
of law principles are fundamental to balancing human rights with
counterterrorism measures, rule of law analyses have thus far failed to provide
discrete consideration of the continued threat the use of counterterrorism measures
pose to indigenous and minority groups.
As noted, in the context of confronting terrorism, rule of law analyses
often properly acknowledge the need to strike a balance between the rule of law
and counterterrorism generally.
Furthermore, when discussing the protection of human rights in
confronting terrorism, several rule of law analyses properly identify the principle
of non-discrimination as in specific need of monitoring.114 However, in the rule of law analyses
examined, despite blanket prohibitions on non-discrimination, an explicit nexus
between counterterrorism measures, rule of law erosion, and the effects on
minority and indigenous groups was not drawn.115 Certainly the principle of
non-discrimination, if properly maintained, would provide minorities with the
necessary legal protections.
Furthermore, protection is arguably provided to these most vulnerable groups
through international pronouncements specifically tailored to their
circumstance.116 However, even resolutions such as the UN Draft
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples do not draw an explicit nexus
between counterterrorism policy and indigenous and minority rights.117
¶ 35 The Mapuche conflict demonstrates that terrorism
language can be severely detrimental to indigenous group rights through the
erosion of rule of law principles.118 Thus, given that minority groups are most
vulnerable to abuses resulting from erosions in the rule of law, there remains
a need to promote consideration of the precarious position of indigenous and
minority groups with respect to counterterrorism policy. The express inclusion of the treatment of
indigenous and minority groups in rule of law analyses would provide specific,
symbolic analysis of this ongoing form of discrimination. The situation in Chile demonstrates that a
comprehensive rule of law analysis requires discrete consideration of minority
and indigenous treatment.
D. Chilean Rule of Law Index Score
Demonstrates the Need for Discrete Consideration of Minority/Indigenous Treatment
to Provide a Comprehensive Rule of Law Analysis
¶ 36 The World Bank has undertaken a Rule of Law
Index to present a comprehensive rule of law measurement as part of their 2006
World Governance Indicators.119 Specifically, the Rule of Law Index measures
the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of
society, in particular the quality of contract enforcement, the police, and the
courts.120 The Rule of Law Index reflects the statistical aggregation of survey and poll responses on
the quality of governance.121 In
2006, Chile scored in the 87th
percentile and received the highest score in South America. The Chilean score was based on the aggregate
data of fifteen polls and surveys.122 The fifteen
sources each provided an aggregation of responses on particular rule of law
attributes.123 Despite the wide variety of factors
considered, none of the fifteen sources expressly considered the treatment of
minority or indigenous groups as part of their rule of law analysis.124
Furthermore, no source expressly considered the effects of counterterrorism
measures on the rule of law.125
¶ 37 Admittedly, the World Bank Index is largely
tailored to business interests and threats posed by rule of law erosion to the
security of foreign investment. However,
the Index is presented as a comprehensive measurement reflecting more than rule
of law principles applied merely to business interests. Furthermore, as a development institution
involved in technical assistance to further human rights protection throughout
the world, the World Bank has consistently emphasized the importance of the
rule of law and good governance.126 Thus, the World Bank Index should arguably
consider the factors most likely to erode the rule of law and enable human
rights violations. Given the current
geopolitical climate, counterterrorism policy is a significant factor that
should be considered in rule of law analyses.127 Furthermore, indigenous and minority groups
are specifically vulnerable to erosions in the rule of law and thus merit
discrete consideration in any thick conception of the rule of law. The express inclusion of minority and
indigenous treatment in rule of law analyses would provide a more comprehensive
indicator of a country's adherence to rule of law principles.
¶ 38 Nevertheless, Chile's World Bank Index score
reflects the significant progress made in its transition to democracy. The score demonstrates that the government
adheres to rule of law principles in a large majority of sectors of Chilean
society. However, despite widespread adherence
to rule of law principles, the treatment of minority and indigenous groups must
be given discrete consideration to provide a comprehensive index of the rule of
law in Chile. A judicial system that has made significant
strides in maintaining the rule of law can easily disguise its mistreatment of
groups like the Mapuche that comprise a very small percentage of the population
and thus the litigation case-load.128 Furthermore, human rights protections are not
only applicable to countries that exhibit wholesale breakdowns in the rule of law,
but are also necessary in societies perceived to be crisis-free. The manifest intent of rule of law principles and international human rights is to
protect individuals from government abuse.
In fact, the protection of minorities was a major impetus of the modern
human rights movement and the correlated notion that a state no longer has
absolute internal control over its citizens.129
VI. Conclusion
¶ 39 Just as striking a balance between the rule of law
and counterterrorism poses a developing challenge in the current geopolitical
climate, the tools necessary to ensure human rights compliance within this
state of affairs must be adjusted accordingly.
Rule of law principles are fundamental to the protection of human
rights, and thus the maintenance of the rule of law with regard to those most
vulnerable should be considered in any rule of law analysis. Rule of law analyses that discretely consider
the treatment of indigenous and minority groups can provide a significant tool
for monitoring the protection of human rights in the current geopolitical
climate of counterterrorism.
ENDNOTES
* JD,
Northwestern University School of Law, expected May 2008; B.A.
cum laude in Public Policy Studies, Duke
University, 2003. This comment was
inspired by my work at the ABA-UNDP's International Legal
Resource Center
in the summer of 2006. Many thanks to
Hongxia Liu and Alan Budde for the opportunity to participate in the ABA's International Rule
of Law Symposium. I am also indebted to
Professor Steve Sawyer for his sharp commentary and generous support throughout
the development of this article. Particular
thanks also to my parents and brother who have been a source of constant love
and guidance. This comment is dedicated to Stephan Shiffers, my late grandfather, who provided the inspiration for me to go to law school, and who was himself denied equal application of the law in his Austrian homeland.
1
The Mapuche were the original inhabitants of the Southern Cone of South America
before the conquistadors arrived in 1541. The Mapuche nation originally
comprised both sedentary and nomadic communities who were primarily hunters and
gatherers, shepherds, farmers and fishermen. They still live in small family
groups under the authority of a Lonko (chief) in the rolling Central Valley
south of the Bío-Bío
River in what are now
Region VIII and IX of Chile.
Louis Faron, The Mapuche Indians OFChile 1 (George
and Louise Spindler, eds.) (1968).
2 Chile secured independence from Spain
in 1810.
Id. at 9.
3Human Rights Watch,Undue Process: Terrorism Trials, Military
Courts and the Mapuche in Southern Chile 12 (2004) [hereinafter undue process].
4
Larry Rohter,
Mapuche Indians in Chile
Struggle to Take Back Forests,
N.Y.
Times, Apr. 11, 2004, at A3.
5
Decree Law No. 701 of 1974 provides government subsidies for private forest
development. Rodolfo Stavenhagen,
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the
Situation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous People: Mission to Chile,
U.N. Doc. E/CN/4/2004/80/Add.3 (Nov. 17, 2003).
The Araucanía region is Chile's
ninth administrative region (Region IX).
Araucanía is one of two regions where a majority of Chilean Mapuche
resides and where the conduct at issue in this paper took place.
6 As
a result of the development of forest plantations, the soil on Mapuche land has
lost its sources of water for drinking and irrigation.
Id. In addition, during the 1990s, Mapuche lands
were profoundly affected by other forms of economic development, including
hydroelectric projects and road construction.
In 2002, police hit Mapuche blocking access road to construction site
for hydroelectric project, then arrested protestors and presented them to a
military prosecutor.
See Undue
Process,
supra note 3, at
14-15.
7
CONADI's functions are to administer the "Indigenous Land
and Water Fund," to subsidize the purchase of additional lands for Mapuche
communities and to finance mechanisms to facilitate the solution of land
conflicts and the provision of water.
CONADI is comprised of a director appointed by the President of Chile,
and a sixteen-person council that includes eight indigenous representatives
proposed by indigenous communities but designated by the President.
Id. at 12-13.
8Id.
at 17-18. All but one of the Mapuche
sentenced for or accused of terrorism are said to belong to the CAM.
10Id.
at 18 (citing
Principales Razones de
Arauco-Malleco: Recuperar ahora....el Territorio Usurpado,
Weftun,
http://www.weftun.cjb.net/
(last visited Aug. 16, 2007)).
11 In
attempting to quell CAM protest actions, the
police response has often been abusive.
Chilean police have often failed to distinguish peaceful protests from
illegal actions, and have consistently mistreated and abused Mapuche
protestors.
See Id. at 46;
see also Human Rights Watch, Human Rights News,
Chile: Mapuche's Convicted of Terrorism,
(Aug. 23, 2004),
available at http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/08/23/chile9257.htm
[hereinafter Human Rights Watch News].
12Undue
Process,
supra note 3, at
16.
13 The
previous government of Eduardo Frei (1994-2000) initiated prosecutions against
the Mapuche under the ordinary criminal code.
Id.
at 2.
14 In December
2000, a new code of criminal procedure designed to strengthen defendants'
rights was introduced in Araucanía. The new code replaced the former
inquisitorial procedure with an accusatorial one with oral trials open to the
public and press. The new procedure has
greatly enhanced the fairness, impartiality, and transparency of criminal
trials. Also, trained public defenders
are now guaranteed to defendants.
Id. at 4, 20.
15 General
Pinochet introduced the Prevention of Terrorism Act, Law No. 18,314, to deal
with violent and non-violent opposition to his military dictatorship.
Id. at 21.
In January 1991, the Aylwin government introduced major amendments to
the original Pinochet version of the statute and it was modified again in 2002
to harmonize the provisions with the new code of criminal procedure that had
entered into force in 2000. According to
the law, terrorist crimes are committed with the intention of producing in the
population, or in part of it, a well-founded fear of falling victim to the same
type of crime, either because of the nature and effects of the method used, or
by evidence that the act was part of a premeditated plan to attack a specific
group or category of persons. The law
states that in certain cases a terrorist intention can be inferred from the use
of weapons of indiscriminate or mass destruction, such as explosives,
incendiary devices, and chemical or biological weapons. Otherwise, the burden
is on the prosecutor to establish evidence of a terrorist intention. Terrorist crimes under the law are: murder;
mutilation; infliction of wounds; kidnapping; hostage-taking; sending explosive
substances; arson; derailing of trains; attacks on ships, planes, trains, and
buses (including hijacking); assassination of the head of state and/or leading
political, judicial, and religious figures, or of internationally protected
persons; the detonation of explosive or incendiary substances that endanger
life; and illegal association to commit any of these crimes.
Id. at 22 (citing art. 2 of Law No.
18,314).
16 The
anti-terrorism law allows the public prosecutor to conduct criminal
investigations in secret for long periods; pretrial release is usually denied
for months, sometimes for longer than the eventual sentence received; and
defendants are not allowed to know the names of many of their accusers. Also, under the Act, judges are given wider
powers to allow prosecutors to intercept correspondence, inspect computers, and
tap phones than in normal criminal investigations.
Id. at 20.
17 "Faceless"
witnesses refers to the practice of withholding the identity of witnesses from
defendants. During terrorist trials,
these witnesses are presented in court behind screens and speak through
voice-distorting microphones.
Id.
at 30.
18
Conviction under the terrorism law results in loss of citizenship. After completion of sentences citizenship can
be restored, but only by a special law requiring an absolute majority of all
members of Congress. In addition, those
convicted of terrorism may not hold public office, teach in schools or
universities, practice journalism, or lead political parties, trade unions, or
student or professional associations for fifteen years. Constitution of Chile art. 9,
available at http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Chile/chile05.html.
19See generally Undue Process, supra note
3.
20 The rule
of law takes on various conceptions, often characterized as "thick" and "thin"
conceptions. However, the basic
principles of a "thin" conception are threshold requirements that are common to
all conceptions of the rule of law.
See, e.g., International Bar Association, Rule of Law Resolution (2006);
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Opening Statement by Mehr Khan-Williams, The Deputy
Commissioner for Human Rights to the Expert Seminar on Democracy and the Rule
of Law
(Feb. 28,
2005), http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/221A641B1539DA08C1256FB7005D0B93?opendocument.
Thick conceptions of the rule of law begin with the basic principles of a thin
conception but then incorporate other elements such as particular conceptions
of human rights, economic arrangements, forms of government, etc.
See Randall
Peerenboom,
Human Rights and Rule of Law:
What's the Relationship? 36
Geo. J.
Int'l. L. 809, 828 (2005). The United
Nations has defined the rule of law as including the basic principles described
but also requires that laws are consistent with international human rights
norms and standards.
See The Secretary-General,
Report of the Secretary-General, The Rule of
Law and Transitional Justice in Conflict and Post-Conflict Societies, para.
6, U.N. Doc. S/2004/616 (2004).
21 International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, art. 14, opened for signature Dec. 16,
1966, 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (1976) (entered into force Mar. 23, 1976) [hereinafter
ICCPR] ("All persons shall be equal before the courts and tribunals. In the
determination of any criminal charge against him, or of his rights and
obligations in a suit at law, everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public
hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by
law.").
22See generally Thomas Carothers,
The Rule of Law Revival, 77
Foreign Aff., 95 (Mar./Apr. 1998).
23See Michael Ignatieff,
Whose Universal Values? The Crisis in Human
Rights (1999)
reprinted in International human Rights in Context, 656 (Henry
J. Steiner and Philip Alston eds.) (2000) ("And let us be explicit: democracy
may not always be possible. Our best hope is for the rule of law. Authoritarian
order which at least guarantees procedural fairness and due process is a good
deal better than anarchy.")
24See Mary Robinson, former President of
Ir., U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, The Rule of Law: Striking a
Balance in an Era of Terrorism at the American Bar Association's International
Rule of Law Symposium (Sept. 16 2006).
25
Although the Act as originally enacted by the Pinochet government was likely
not "legitimately enacted" by international standards, the Act was amended in
1991 as part of a wider effort to bring public security legislation inherited
from the military government into line with human rights standards.
See Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 21.
26 ICCPR,
supra note 21, at art. 14 ("In the
determination of any criminal charge against him, or of his rights and
obligations in a suit at law, everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public
hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.").
28See Brennan
Center for Justice Resources, Questions and Answers about Judicial Independence
(2001)
available at http://www.brennancenter.org/resources/resources_jiqanda.html;
see also G. Alan Tarr.
Judicial Independence and State Judiciaries,
reprinted in Judicial
Independence: Essays, Bibliography, and Discussion Guide, Teaching
Resource Bulletin #6, American Bar Association Division for Public Education (1999)
("Judicial independence refers to the insulation of the judiciary from the
influence of other political institutions, interest groups, and the general
public.").
29 [M]ost
agree that a truly independent judiciary has three characteristics. First, it
is impartial, judicial decisions are not influenced by a judge's personal
interest in the outcome of the case. Second,
judicial decisions, once rendered, are respected, and third, the judiciary is
free from interference. Parties to a case, or others with an interest in its
outcome, cannot influence the judge's decision.
The World Bank Group, Legal
Institutions of the Market Economy, Judicial Independence: What It Is, How It Can Be
Measured, Why It Occurs (2001),
available
at http://www1.worldbank.org/publicsector/legal/judicialindependence.htm.
30See, e.g., Unrepresented Nations and
Peoples Organization,
Chile: Mapuches
Convicted of Terrorism, (Aug. 24, 2004),
http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=1115, (citing Undersecretary of the
Interior, Jorge Correa, stating regarding the government's "triumph" convicting
four Mapuches for terrorism: "the dismantling of the leadership of the Mapuche
protests was the consequence of a successful and systematic intelligence effort
called Operation Patience"; also stating that the "trials had contributed to
pacifying Chile's southern provinces, troubled for years by land conflicts
between Mapuche communities and forestry companies and private landowners.");
see also Human Rights Watch News,
supra note 11;
see also Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 37.
31 The
Poluco Pidenco estate is near Ercilla,
Chile and
belongs to the logging company Mininco.
Human Rights Watch News,
supra note
11.
32 The new
Chilean Criminal Code established a
Juez
de garantía, a judge responsible for supervising the fairness of the
criminal investigation and ensuring that defendants are not held in detention
unless strictly necessary.
33 Chilean
criminal code stipulates that an indictment can only refer to facts and
individuals referred to in the formalization hearing, although the nature of
the charges in the indictment may be different.
Undue Process,
supra note
3, at 35-36 (citing Art. 259(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Chile)).
34 Espina
stated that "the interpretation of the jueces de garantía violates the letter
and spirit of the anti-terrorist law that we approved in Parliament."
Id. at 37
(citing El Gong (Chile), April 16, 2003).
35Califican de 'mano blanda' a cuestionada
jueza de Collipuli,
La Segunda (Chile),
Oct. 22, 2003.
36Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 37. Several sources who requested anonymity
informed HRW of the incident.
37Id. at 36
(citing Supreme Court ruling dated March 18, 2004).
38 "[I]f
it considers it convenient for the good administration of justice, the Supreme
Court may correct on its own account the faults and abuses that any judges or
judicial officials commit in the course of their duties."
Undue
Process, supra note 3, at 36
(citing Art. 541 of the Organic Code of Courts (Chile)).
39Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 36.
40Lonkos is the Mapuche word for community
leaders. Pascual Pichún and Aniceto Norín from Araucanía were the leaders accused
in this case.
42
Stavenhagen,
supra note 5, at
17. "Faceless witnesses" are arguably a
violation of international law. Article
14.3(e) of the ICCPR provides that: "[i]n the determination of any criminal
charge against him, everyone shall be entitled to the following minimum
guarantees, in full equality. . . to examine, or have examined, the witnesses
against him and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his
behalf under the same conditions as witnesses against him."
43 In
September 2003, the
lonkos were
sentenced to a prison term of five years and one day for posing a "terrorist
threat."
Id.
44 ICCPR
art. 14(2) states that "[e]veryone charged with a criminal offence shall have
the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to the law."
45
Stavenhagen,
supra note 5, at para. 40.
46 In his
dissenting opinion, Milton Juica stated that the law did not require the court
to specify the reasons for rejecting prosecution evidence in the judgment,
while the court was obliged to exactly specify its grounds for accepting
evidence for a conviction.
Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 34.
48Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 20.
50 The Human Rights Committee has rejected use
of military tribunals to try civilians under any circumstances.
See United
Nations Human Rights Committee,
General
Comment No. 13: Equality before the
courts and the right to a fair and public hearing by an independent court
established by law (art. 14), (Apr. 13, 1984). The Inter-American
Court has also stated that civilians should not be
tried by military courts. Durand and
Ugarte v. Peru,
judgment of Aug. 16, 2000, Series C no. 68, paras. 117 and 118.
See
also Ocalan v. Turkey, App. No.
46221/99, 37 Eur. Ct. H.R. 238 (2003) (holding
that the use of military judges raised doubts as to the independence and
impartiality of the Turkish courts in question based on Article 6 of the
European Convention on Human Rights).
51See ICCPR,
supra note 21, at art. 14. Chile ratified
the ICCPR in 1972.
52Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 48.
53 The UN
Human Rights Committee has specifically condemned Chile's use of military tribunals
for civilian cases.
See ICCPR Human Rights Committee,
1999 Annual Report to the General Assembly, para. 205, U.N. Doc.
A/54/40, 21 (October 1999) (stating that power of military courts to conclude
civilian cases contributes to impunity for serious human rights violations of
military personnel);
see also Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 43.
54See Undue
Process, supra note 3, at
48-56.
55See Durand and Ugarte v. Peru; Ocalan
v. Turkey,
supra note 50.
56 The
notion of ruling
by law, as opposed
to the rule
of law, is loosely based
on John Rawls' theory of governing behind the veil of ignorance. According
to Rawls, agents who did not know their position in society would choose to
affirm the equality of basic rights. Behind
the veil of ignorance, governments would thus only make decisions that
differentiate groups when removing the difference would worsen the situation of
the worst-off members of society. John
Rawls,
Original Position, reprinted in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy available at http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/original-position/.
57 See Mary Robinson, former President of
Ir., U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, The Rule of Law: Striking a
Balance in an Era of Terrorism at the American Bar Association's International
Rule of Law Symposium (Sept. 16 2006) ("language is vital in shaping our
reactions: the words we use to characterize an event may determine the nature
of our response.").
58 There
is no evidence that the Prevention of Terrorism Act has been used to prosecute
others for conduct similar to Mapuche actions.
59See CNW Group,
Economic Freedom and Rule of Law key to ending Latin America's years of
stagnation and poverty,
available at http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2006/02/c7355.html;
see also The World Bank Group, World Bank Governance Indicators, Chile
(2006)
available at www.worldbank.org/wbi/governance/govmatters5
[hereinafter
World Bank Indicators].
60 Rosa
Brooks,
The New Imperialism:
Violence, Norms and the Rule of Law, 101
Mich. L. Rev. 2275, 2285 (2003)
(stating that the rule of law is also an issue of norm-creation).
62See Laura Dickinson,
Using Legal Process to Fight Terrorism:
Detentions, Military Commissions, International Tribunals and the Rule of Law,
75
S. Cal. L. Rev. 1407, 1485
(2002) ("Conflict may be endemic - but law and legal process provide a
framework for setting boundaries to that conflict and a language for bridging
differences.").
63See Brooks,
supra note 60, at 2314. However,
the cultural fabric of society in the context of terrorism likely must now be
perceived with a global scope, as the label of terrorism even in a national
context takes on its global meaning.
64 Those
charged with the crime of "illicit terrorist association" have at times merely
committed the act of being an active member of the CAM.
See Stavenhagen,
supra note 5, at paras.
56 and 87.
65See Prevention of Terrorism Act,
supra note 15. There is international consensus that
terrorism involves acts directed at injury or death of people, not acts against
property or political organization and dissent. The Inter-American Convention Against
Terrorism AG/Res. 1840 (XXXII-O/02) (June 3, 2002) does not define terrorism
(Chile became a party to the Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism in
2004), but refers to previous International Conventions on Terrorism; the only
convention that is referred to that includes definition of terrorism is the
International Convention for the Suppression of Financing of Terrorism that
defines terrorist crimes as: those [i]ntended to cause death or serious bodily
injury to a civilian, or to any other person not taking an active part in the
hostilities in a situation of armed conflict, when the purpose of such act, by
its nature or context, is to intimidate a population, or to compel a government
or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act. International Convention for Suppression of
the Financing of Terrorism art. 2 (1)
(a)(b) (1999). Also, the European
Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism 27.I.1977 only considers attacks on
life, liberty, and physical integrity to be extraditable offenses. See also the definition of the High-level
Panel convened by the Secretary-General who defined terrorism as: "any action .
. . that is intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or
non-combatants, when the purpose of such an act, by its nature or context, is
to intimidate a population or to compel a Government or an international
organization to do or to abstain from doing any act." UN General Assembly, Fifty-Ninth Session,
Agenda Item 55,
Secure World Report:
follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit, U.N. Doc. A/59/565, ¶ 164, (Dec.
2004)
available at http://www.un.org/secureworld/report.pdf [hereinafter Secure World Report].
Although Mapuche actions were arguably intended to compel government
conduct they were not aimed at causing death or serious bodily harm.
66
Terrorist crimes under the law are: murder; mutilation; infliction of wounds;
kidnapping; hostage-taking; sending explosive substances; arson; derailing of
trains; attacks on ships, planes, trains, and buses (including hijacking);
assassination of the head of state and/or leading political, judicial, and
religious figures, or of internationally protected persons; the detonation of
explosive or incendiary substances that endanger life; and illegal association
to commit any of these crimes.
See Prevention
of Terrorism Act,
supra note 15, at
art. 2.
67 As
explained by Human Rights Watch, serious crimes have been committed by the
Mapuche, but the crimes are against property and not against human life or
liberty.
See Rohter,
supra note 4,
at 1.
68Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 23.
69 The
global "war on terror" has promoted the meaning of terrorism as actions
attacking freedom and rule of law principles.
See Inter-American Convention
Against Terrorism,
supra note 65.
70See, e.g., Ernesto Barros, an interior
ministry official, stating in reference to the Mapuche prosecutions: "It is
legitimate to use [the Terrorism Act] in relation to people who resort to
terror." Alain Devalpo,
Chile 's Mapuches
are left out of the party,
Le Monde
Diplomatique (2005)
available at http://mondediplo.com/2006/02/09mapuches. The forestry industry association (Corporación
de la Madera), has also called on the government to squelch "Mapuche terrorist
tactics." Daniela Estrada,
Indigenous
Activists Demand Fair Trials, Int'l Press Service
, Sept. 3, 2004,
available
at http://www.americas.org/item_16257.
Discourse on the Mapuche conflict in Chile now largely involves
discussion of "terrorist fires" and "illegal terrorist association," as well as
comparisons with groups such as Al-Qaeda.
Even if ultimately not found to be similar to Al-Qaeda and other terrorist
groups, the terrorist language used is itself damaging and stigmatizing.
See Rohter,
supra note 4;
see also Gretchen Gordon,
Chile's
Terror Duplicity, 26
Multinational
Monitor 5 (May/June 2005).
71 Human
Rights Watch has observed that the Mapuche are "seen as violent agitators who
are opposed to the economic development of the country and advocate secession
of the Araucanía from the state."
Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 15.
72See Undue
Process,
supra note 3, at 4;
see also Rohter,
supra note 4, at 3 ("By using terrorist law, the government has not
only succeeded in disarticulating Mapuche groups, it has also robbed them of
the moral prestige and sympathy they once enjoyed.").
73 The
Chilean government has justified its use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act
against the Mapuche based on order and security. For example, at a March 2002 Senate debate,
Alberto Espina, Senator for the Araucanía region, argued that violent Mapuche
groups should be combated "[w]ith the full rigor of the law, since their
conduct has created a state of insecurity and fear that is incompatible with
the full functioning of the rule of law."
Undue
Process,
supra note 3, at 15
citing (Comisíon de Constitución, Legislación
, Justicia y Reglamento,
Informe
de la Comisíon de Constitución, Legislacíon, Justicia y Reglamento, recaído en
el encargo que le hiciera el Senado respecto del conflicto Mapuche en relacíon
con el orden púpblico y la seguridad cíudadana en determinadas regions,
Boletín No. S680-12 (July 9, 2003)).
74See Secure World Report,
supra note 65, at para. 11.
75 Recent
international definitions of terrorism have concluded that terrorism is any
action that is intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or
non-combatants, when the purpose of such an act, by its nature or context, is
to intimidate a population or to compel a Government or an international
organization to do or to abstain from doing any act.
Id. at para. 164. An argument could be made
that Mapuche actions have been intended to harm civilians to compel the Chilean
government from pursuing their economic policies on the disputed lands,
however, no one has been injured by Mapuche actions.
76 Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights,
Report on
Terrorism and Human Rights, para.
7
(2004).
77See Office for the High Commissioner of
Human Rights,
Terrorism and Human Rights,
U.N. Doc E/Cn/4/Res/2003/68 (Apr. 25, 2003)
available at http://www.unhchr.ch/terrorism/index.html. No derogation is ever allowed from the
non-derogable rights listed in ICCPR arts. 4 and 27. For example, it is never allowed to
discriminate solely based on ethnic origin.
See also Inter-American Convention on
Terrorism,
supra note 64, at art. 15
("measures carried out under this Convention shall take place with full respect
for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms").
78 Under
the ICCPR, certain rights are non-derogable and any derogation from the other
rights guaranteed by the Covenant must be made in strict conformity with ICCPR
art. 4.
See also U.N. General Assembly Resolution 57/219 (Dec. 18, 2002) ("
Affirms
that States must ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism complies
with their obligations under international law, in particular international
human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.");
Enforcing International Law Norms Against Terrorism 519 (Bianchi,
Andrea ed.) (2004); Office of the
High Commissioner of Human Rights [OHCHR],
Protecting
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism, U.N. Doc.
A/Res/57/219/18 (Dec. 2002); Committee Members of the Council of Europe,
Guidelines on Human Rights and the Fight
Against Terrorism, (July 11, 2002) ("Human rights guarantees should never
be disregarded."); Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Protection of human rights and fundamental
freedoms while countering terrorism, U.N. Doc E/CN.4/Res/2003/68, ¶ 3,
(Apr. 25, 2003)
available at http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/E/CHR/resolutions/E-CN_4-RES-2003-68.doc.
79World Bank Indicators,
supra note 59, at 110.
80Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 17.
81 For
example, the construction of a dam in Araucanía on Mapuche ancestral lands went
ahead, against the express wishes of the indigenous communities affected, only
after then-President Eduardo Frei intervened to secure its approval by the
national environmental agency and by CONADI.
Moreover, two CONADI directors who had opposed the dam were then fired
in quick succession.
Id. at 14.
82See ICCPR Human Rights Committee, 1999
Annual Report to the General Assembly, A/54/40, (Oct. 21, 1999). Regarding Chile, the Committee stated: "[t]he
Committee is concerned that hydroelectric and other development projects might
affect the way of life and the rights of persons belonging to the
Mapuche."
See also Stavenhagen,
supra note
5.
83 Adopted
in 1993, Act No. 19,253 recognized rights that were specific to indigenous
peoples and expressed Chile's
intention to establish a new relationship with them. Stavenhagen,
supra note 5, at 7.
84
The bill was defeated 20
to 13, with two abstentions. The bill was submitted by Senators
Alejandro Navarro and Juan Pablo Letelier of the Socialist Party (PS) and Guido
Girardi of the Party for Democracy (PPD).
Daniela Estrada,
Chile:
Closed Door for Prisoners Galvanizes Mapuche Mobilization, Inter-Press
Service News Agency, Sept. 8, 2006,
available
at http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34656.
85
There is significant debate regarding the proper treatment of indigenous groups
and their right to self-determination.
It is not possible within the scope of this paper to explore the various
views on proper nation-state treatment of indigenous peoples.
86
Rodolfo
Stavenhagen, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and
fundamental freedoms, has submitted several domestic legislative
recommendations to improve Chile-Mapuche relations. Included in his
proposals are constitutional reforms to give constitutional recognition to
indigenous peoples and Chilean ratification of the International Labour
Organization Convention No. 169. The Governments that have succeeded the Pinochet
regime have proposed constitutional reform and ratification of ILO Convention
No. 169, but all proposals have been rejected by the Chilean Parliament. Stavenhagen,
supra note 5, at para. 58. Among the rights of indigenous
peoples recognized under the ILO Convention are the "[r]ights of ownership and
possession of the peoples concerned over the lands in which they traditionally
occupy." International Labor Organization Convention (No. 169) concerning
Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, entry into force Sept.
5, 1991,
available at http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/62.htm.
88
Included in their recommendations are legislative removal of the anti-terrorism
law and ending the use of military tribunals for civilians.
See Undue Process,
supra note 3, at 9-10.
89See U.N. General Assembly,
International Decade of the World's
Indigenous People, U.N. A/RES/49/214 ( Feb. 17 1995) (encouraging
governments to seek "means, in
consultation with indigenous people, of giving indigenous people greater
responsibility for their own affairs and an effective voice in decisions on
matters which affect them.");
see also Conference
on Security and Cooperation in Europe,
Report
of the CSCE Meeting of Experts on National Minorities, July 1-19, 1991,
reprinted in 30
Int'l
Legal Materials 1692-1702 (Nov. 1991) (stating that over the long-term,
minority issues are best resolved in a rule of law framework).
90See Stavenhagen,
supra note 5, at Executive Summary.
91 Chile
ratified the American Convention on August 8, 1990.
93 ICCPR
art. 14.1 states that: "All persons shall be equal before the courts and
tribunals. In the determination of any criminal charge against him, or of his
rights and obligations in a suit at law, everyone shall be entitled to a fair
and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal
established by law." Article 2 states
that: "Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to respect and to
ensure to all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction
the rights recognized in the present Covenant, without distinction of any kind,
such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion,
national or social origin, property, birth or other status."
94
American Convention on Human Rights, "Pact of San Jose, Costa Rica," opened
for signature Nov. 22, 1969, 1144 U.N.T.S. 123,
available at http://
www.oas.org/juridico/english/Treaties/b-32.html [hereinafter American
Convention]. Article 8 of
the American Convention provides several due process guarantees and states in §
1 that "[e]very person has the right to a hearing, with due guarantees and
within a reasonable time, by a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal." However, the American Convention, although
modeled after the ICCPR, notably does not contain a parallel provision to
Article 27 of the ICCPR which recognizes the rights of members of minority
groups. The Inter-American Democratic
Charter art. 9, Sept. 11, 2001, 40 I.L.M. 1289, 1290, available at
http://www.oas.org/charter/docs/resolution1_en_p4.htm, does provide for the
"promotion and protection of human rights of indigenous peoples and migrants,"
but this Charter remains a non-binding resolution.
95
Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism,
supra note 65, at art. 1.
However, Chile
only ratified the Convention in August 2004 and thus could argue that their
obligations under the Convention only began in 2004.
96 Habeas
Corpus in Emergency Situations (arts. 27(2) and 7(6) of the American
Convention), Advisory Opinion OC-8/87, January 30, 1987, Inter-Am. Ct. H.R.
(Ser. A) No. 8 (1987) ("There exists an inseparable bond between the principle
of legality, democratic institutions and the rule of law . . . The judicial
guarantees essential for the protection of human rights not subject to
derogation, according to 27.2 of the Convention, are those to which the
Convention expressly refers in arts 7.6 and 25.1, considered within the
framework and the principles of art. 8, and also those necessary to the
preservation of the rule of law.").
97 Vienna Convention on the
Law of Treaties, 1155 U.N.T.S. 331, 8 I.L.M. 679, entered into force Jan. 27, 1980.
98
Inter-American Court of Human Rights, International Responsibility for the
Promulgation and Enforcement of Laws in violation of the Convention (arts. 1
and 2, American Convention on Human Rights), Advisory Opinion OC-14/94 of
December 1994, Series A No. 14, para. 35.
99 The
procedure for handling individual complaints under the American Convention
begins with the Inter-American Commission.
The Court may consider a case that is brought either by the Commission
or by a state party to the Convention.
Cecilia Medina,
The Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights:
Reflections on a Joint Venture 12
Hum.
Rts. Q. 439, 440 (1990).
100See Tom Farer,
The Rise of the Inter-American Human Rights Regime: No Longer a
Unicorn, Not yet an Ox, reprinted in The
Inter-American System of Human Rights 32 (David Harris and S.
Livingstone, eds.) (1998).
101 In
2001, the Inter-American Commission ruled that Chile's prohibition on the film
"The Last Temptation of Christ" violated Article 13 of the American
Convention. "The Last Temptation of Christ" Case, Judgment of February 5,
2001, Inter-Am Ct. H.R. (Ser. C) No. 73 (2001),
available at http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/iachr/C/73-ing.html. In
January 2004, Chile
changed its film classification system to abolish film censorship.
See United
States Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor,
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
2003: Chile, (Feb. 25, 2004),
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27890.htm.
102 Indian Law Resource Center, Indigenous
Organizations and Peoples Denounce how Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica and
Nicaragua Violate their Collective Property Rights to their Lands and Natural
Resources in a Hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
(July 28, 2006),
http://www.indianlaw.org.
103See Mary Robinson,
supra note 57; Bianchi,
supra
note 78, at 519 (stating that international terrorism has caused some states
to adopt emergency legislations allowing derogation from international human
rights obligations);
see also Korematsu
v. United States, 323 U.S. 214 (1944) (upholding establishment of internment
camps for all persons of Japanese ancestry based on dangers of WWII); James
Madison, Report on the Alien and Sedition Acts (Jan. 7, 1800),
in James
Madison, Writings 639 (Jack N. Rakove ed., 1999) (criticizing four laws
passed by the U.S. Congress in 1798 in anticipation of war with France that
authorized detainment or expulsion of 'dangerous' aliens and curtailed press
criticism of government).
104
Minority Rights Group International,
Global
'War on Terror' has become a Global
War on Minorities, (Sept. 8, 2006),
http://www.minorityrights.org/news_detail.asp?ID=394;
see also Mary Robinson,
supra note 57 ("The reality is that by
responding in this way the United States has, often inadvertently, given other
governments an opening to take their own measures which run counter to the rule
of law and undermine efforts to strengthen democratic forms of government.").
105 One of
the most distinctive features of minority rights and legal protection is that
minorities need the greatest legal protections during times of crisis.
See generally Korematsu,
supra note 101.
106
Theodore McDonald, lecturer in Anthropology and Social Studies at Harvard, has
stated that in many places in Latin America
the term "terrorist" has replaced "communist" as a means to
justify suspension of the basic rights of indigenous people and to avoid
dialogue over ongoing issues such as land and resources. Minority Rights Group International,
supra note 103.
See
also Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights [OHCHR],
Protecting Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms while Countering Terrorism, U.N. Doc. A/Res/57/219/18 (Dec. 2002)
(drawing attention to the dangers inherent in the indiscriminate use of the
term "terrorism" and the resulting new categories of discrimination).
107 The United States
has been widely charged with violating minority rights.
See,
e.g., Human Rights Watch, Witness to
Abuse: Human Rights Abuses under the Material Witness Law since September 11,
(June 2005),
http://hrw.org/reports/2005/us0605/us0605.pdf ("since the attacks
of September 11, 2001, at least seventy men living in the United States - all
Muslim but one - have been thrust into a Kafkaesque world of indefinite
detention without charges, secret evidence, and baseless accusations of terrorist
links."). The use of terrorism language
has spread to countries all over the world.
The violent repression of Muslim Uighurs in China, the ongoing denial of
rights for Kurds in Turkey and the Russian occupation of Chechnya have all
violated international human rights obligations and have all been explained
away as a contribution to the "war on terror."
Also, the United Kingdom passed the
Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act in 2001 and since September 11, 2001
almost 950 people have been arrested under the Act, the majority of them
Muslim. Preti Taneja,
Global War on Minorities, Oct. 2, 2006,
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/10/02/global_war_on_minorities.php
(last visited Aug. 18, 2007). Canada
also changed its laws in response to 9/11, the Anti-Terrorism Act allows
government to make "preventive arrests."
See Department of Justice Canada,
Royal Assent of Bill C-36, The
Anti-Terrorism Act,
http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/news/nr/2001/doc_28217.html
(last visited Aug. 18, 2007).
Representatives from Arab and Muslim groups stated that the police has
targeted their groups under the Act.
See Public Safety and Emergency
Preparedness Canada,
Review of the
Anti-Terrorism Act, (Feb. 14, 2005)
http://www.psepc.gc.ca/media/sp/2005/sp20050214-en.asp
(last visited Aug. 18. 2007);
see also Human Rights Watch, Broken People: Caste
Violence against India's Untouchables (1999),
available at http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/india/ ("Dalit
activists are jailed under preventive detention statutes to prevent them from
holding meetings and protest rallies, or charged as 'terrorists' and 'threats
to national security.'").
108 Kay
Bailey Hutchinson,
Democracy and the Rule
of Law, 39
Int'l. Law. 663,
664. (stating that the rule of law promotes democratic principles such as curbs
on executive power through checks and balances, freedom of the press, freedom
of worship, etc.).
See also U.N. General Assembly,
United Nations Millennium
Declaration, G.A. Res. 55/2, U.N. GAOR, 55th Sess., Supp. No.
49, at 4, U.N. Doc. A/55/49 (2000) [hereinafter Millennium Declaration]
(stating that strengthening rule of law is a vital part of
strengthening human rights and democracy).
109
Ignatieff,
supra note 23.
110 The
Club de Madrid, a group of former heads of states from countries in all regions
of the world that works to strengthen democracy throughout the world, addressed
the issue of counterterrorism and the rule of law in 2005.
Club
de Madrid: Towards a Democratic Response: The Club de Madrid Series on
Democracy and Terrorism Vol. III, The International Summit on Democracy
Terrorism and Security 15, 49 (March 2005) [hereinafter Club de Madrid]
("[t]he global phenomenon of terrorism points to the increasing need for . . .
scrupulous respect for the rule of law.").
111 Mary
Robinson,
supra note 57, at 4 ("the
violations of human rights standards that have occurred in the name of this so
called war - no matter how necessary it is to counter terrorism - have caused
tremendous damage to the efforts by many to strengthen the rule of law.").
112 The
Expert Seminar was convened by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights based on a mandate by the Commission on Human Rights (Resolution 2003/36)
to organize a second expert seminar to examine further the interdependence
between democracy and human rights, with a focus on the rule of law, and to
report on the conclusions of the seminar to the Commission at its sixty-first
session.
Expert Seminar on Democracy and
the Rule of Law, Conclusions and Recommendations 14 (Mar. 2005)
available at http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/democracy/seminar2.htm [hereinafter
Expert Seminar on Democracy
and Rule of Law].
113 The
Commission was founded in Berlin
in 1952 and its membership is composed of sixty eminent jurists who are
representatives of the different legal systems of the world.
International
Commission of Jurists, The Berlin Declaration: The ICJ Declaration on Upholding
Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Combating Terrorism (Aug. 2004)
available at http://www.icj.org/IMG/pdf/Berlin_Declaration.pdf [hereinafter ICJ Berlin Declaration] (declaring that states must adhere
strictly to the rule of law in adopting measures aimed at suppressing acts of
terrorism and that a mechanism should be established to monitor
counter-terrorism and human rights, but failing to identify indigenous/minority
groups as those in need of special protection.).
114 Club
de Madrid,
supra note 109, at 32
("The fundamental and overriding principle of non-discrimination must be
respected at all times especially in counter-terrorism measures adopted by
states.").
See also ICJ Berlin Declaration,
supra note 112, at 2 ("To that end, counter-terrorism measures
themselves must always be taken with strict regard to the principles of
legality, necessity, proportionality and non-discrimination.").
115 See Expert Seminar on Democracy and Rule of Law,
supra
note 112 (no mention of concern for indigenous or minorities);
ICJ Berlin Declaration,
supra note 113 (failing to identify
indigenous/minority groups as being in need of special protection); Millennium
Declaration,
supra note 108
(resolving to strengthen capacity to respect minority rights, and to fight
international terrorism, without drawing any link to minority rights).
But see Club de Madrid,
supra note 110, at 48 (acknowledging
that "[a]ll measures of racial profiling and other discriminatory practices
against minorities or particular social and religious communities must be
eliminated"). However, the Club de Madrid did not explicitly link
discriminatory practices to counterterrorism efforts. The Club de Madrid did,
however, recognize the importance of the inclusion and integration of minority
and diaspora communities into societies.
116 The
protection of indigenous groups is codified in various charters and
declarations.
See, e.g., Inter-American Democratic Charter, supra note 94; Draft Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, U.N. Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/1994/2/Add.1 (1994). However, there
is no binding international law that explicitly protects indigenous
groups.
119 In
2005, the World Bank performed the latest update of their worldwide governance
indicators covering 213 countries and territories and measuring six dimensions
of governance: voice and accountability, political stability and absence of
violence, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and
control of corruption.
World Bank, 2006 World Governance Indicators,
available at www.worldbank.org/wbi/governance/govmatters5.
121 The surveys and polls are aggregated as
reported by a number of survey institutes, think-tanks, non-governmental
organizations, and international organizations.
Id.
123See, e.g., Cingranelli-Richards Human
Rights Dataset, Factors considered for Chile,
http://info.worldbank.org/governance/kkz2005/pdf/HUM.pdf
(last visited Aug. 18, 2007) [hereinafter CIRI Humans Rights Dataset]. The
Cingranelli-Richards ("CIRI") Human Rights Dataset provided a
measurement on the independence of the judiciary based on human rights
violations compiled by the U.S. State Department and Amnesty
International. The CIRI Dataset contains
standards-based quantitative information on government respect for thirteen
internationally recognized human rights for 192 countries.
See also Economist Intelligence Unit survey factors for Good
Governance Indicators,
at http://info.worldbank.org/governance/kkz2005/pdf/EIU.pdf
(last visited Aug. 18, 2007). The
Economist Intelligence Unit ("EIU") aggregated data on violent crime, organized
crime, fairness of judicial process, enforceability of contracts, speediness of
judicial process, confiscation/expropriation, intellectual property rights
protection and private property protection.
EIU is a for-profit organization producing analysis and forecasts of the
political, economic and business environment in more than 180 countries. The
EIU was founded in 1949 and is based in London.
In 1997, the EIU launched two quarterly publications which contain governance
measures: the Country Risk Service and the Country Forecasts.
124 Not
one of the fifteen sources used in the World Bank's rule of law analysis of Chile
directly considered the treatment of minorities or indigenous groups.
See,
e.g., World Economic Forum, Global
Competitiveness Report,
http://info.worldbank.org/governance/kkz2005/pdf/GCS.pdf
(last visited Aug. 18, 2007).
But see the CIRI Human Rights Dataset,
supra note 123, that does consider
imprisonments based on race or ethnicity as part of its Voice and
Accountability Indicator. Also, questions
regarding the treatment of minorities or indigenous groups may have been
included as part of the surveys or polls, but this consideration was not
reflected in any descriptions of data collected.
125 One of
the sources considers "political terror" as a factor in measuring political
stability.
See CIRI Human Rights Dataset,
supra note 123.
127
Prominent international jurists state that rule of law analyses should consider
counterterrorism policy.
See supra, notes 110-113. Though perhaps a controversial assertion, it
is assumed for the purposes of this paper that counterterrorism policy is
rightly considered as part of rule of law analyses.
128
According to the 2002 Chilean Census, Mapuche constitute 4% of population.
129See generally Minorities Treaty, Versailles, (Jun. 28, 1919);
see also Jan Herman Burgers,
The
Road to San Francisco:
The Revival of the Human Rights idea in the Twentieth Century, 14
Hum Rts. Q. 447, 450, (1992) (stating
that early 20
th century minorities treaties, imposed on the states
of Central-East Europe and the Balkans, guaranteed that all nationals would be
equal before the law and would enjoy the same civil and political rights).
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