A/HRC/12/50 421. Amnesty International welcomed the ratification of the Rome Statute and the approval by Congress of the creation of a national human rights institution. It called on Chile to ensure the institution’s independence in its powers and functions. It also reiterated its call for Chile to nullify the 1978 amnesty law. Welcoming Chile’s support of the recommendations relating to the human rights of indigenous peoples, it reiterated concerns that in view of recent violent incidents, the anti-terrorism law may be applied in a discriminatory manner. It regretted that Chile had not supported recommendations to bring its abortion law into line with its human rights obligations and to review its legislation criminalizing the termination of pregnancies in all circumstances. It called for Chile to reconsider these recommendations. 422. France Libertés: Fondation Danielle Mitterrand noted that the criminalization of demonstrations by the Mapuche constituted an abuse, illustrated by the implementation of the anti-terrorist law and the expulsion of journalists reporting on the conflict between Mapuche communities and the Government. Despite a land restitution policy, lands were threatened by major hydroelectric, mining and forestry projects; the access of the Mapuche to resources, including water, has thus been compromised. The application of the antiterrorist law lead to a loss of guarantees to a fair trial, maintained much of the investigation secret, imposed preventive imprisonment and applied harsher sentences to the ones the criminal code would apply in similar circumstances. It called on the Council to ensure that Chile no longer criminalized the demands of indigenous communities and that it guaranteed conditions for dialogue. 423. The Society for Threatened Peoples noted that Chile defined itself as a united country, thus not recognizing the existence and singularities of peoples such as the Mapuche. Contrary to Slovenia’s recommendations on the implementation of bilingual intercultural programmes, Chile persisted in promoting cultural uniformity based on a European ethnocentric vision. The constitutional reform bill currently considered by parliament had not been discussed with indigenous peoples. Chile also denied the Mapuche their rights to their ancestral lands. Indigenous peoples were rarely consulted on matters that concerned them, whether they were development projects or infrastructure. In Arauco, 620 projects had not been concluded for lack of funding. Chile has voted in favour of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, but criminalized Mapuche leaders who promote respect for free determination, autonomy and self-government. 424. Conectas Direitos Humanos welcomed the recommendations made to Chile during its review, drawing attention to the difficulties that Chile had shown in implementing recommendations made by other human rights instruments. The judicial power and Congress resisted incorporating international human rights standards into their work. Despite the authorities’ agreement to create a body representing the three political powers and non-governmental organizations to follow up on the recommendations of the review, the proposal had not come into effect yet. It called on the Government to convene public authorities and non-governmental organizations to create such a follow-up mechanism. 425. The International Association against Torture stated that, with regard to recommendations requesting the investigation of alleged cases of torture and to bring perpetrators to justice, it was common for raids of Mapuche communities to be carried out without a legal warrant and with threats by the police. The police continued to inflict cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment on detainees, and peaceful protests were continuously repressed. Recalling that, in the past six years, six Mapuches had been murdered by the police and that the identified perpetrators had not been convicted, it highlighted the Czech Republic’s recommendation to provide human rights education and practices to security officers, including the Gendarmería. Noting that Algeria had recommended poverty alleviation programmes, it stated that development projects lacked funding. Of the millions 126