Chilean Police Release Sputnik Mundo Correspondent Detained While Covering Protest Anniversary
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The latest spate of demonstrations came weeks after Chilean residents voted against the proposed text of the country's new constitution, which was meant to replace the current governing document enacted under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in 1980.
Chilean police detained on Tuesday Sputnik Mundo correspondent Carolina Trejo, who had been in the nation's capital Santiago to cover protests marking the third anniversary of the October 2019 social unrest. She has since been released.
Reports have indicated that Trejo was taken into custody by military police at about 8 p.m. local time near the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center, just as the journalist was preparing to return home.
Video shared on social media appeared to show officials placing Trejo inside a police van as others outside the camera frame inform police they were detaining a journalist.
🔴 Exigimos la libertad inmediata de nuestra colega Carolina Trejo. Y denunciamos a @Carabdechile por negar sistemáticamente su paradero. Sabemos que está en la tercera comisaria, pero no aparece en sus registros. @min_interior pic.twitter.com/qJWR0Jhcvx
— Periodistas RM (@Periodistas_RM) October 19, 2022
Moments before the arrest, Trejo was said to be covering demonstrations that were taking place in Chile's Plaza Dignidad, which served as one of the main sites for protests during the October 2019 social movement.
Hours after the arrest, the Metropolitan Regional Council of the College of Journalist in Chile confirmed that Trejo had been released from custody.
The group earlier issued a statement condemning the South American nation's military police, underscoring that such incidents "prevents journalistic work."
"Informing is not a crime," the group stressed.
Rechazamos la detención de nuestra compañera, la periodista Carolina Trejo, académica del @FCEIUchile Estaba reportando cuando la detuvieron. pic.twitter.com/WfELdh8s4T
— Alejandra Carmona López (@ale_carmona) October 19, 2022
The Tuesday anniversary was marked by multiple protesters clashing with police. In some instances, cops responded to fires and rocks being thrown with gas and water cannons. However, the day's events were not all violent.
"Perhaps there were people who did evil, destruction, but there are many of us who were - and are - asking for justice, dignity," Marco Valdebenito, whose brother died during the initial protests, told Reuters. "Those of us who fought are here."
The 2019 protests initially broke out across Chile in response to steep metro fare hikes but later went on to include calls for reforms of the nation's education system and health care programs, as well as pushing for improved wages. In fact, said protests paved the way for the Chilean government to replace the Pinochet-era constitution, which is currently being reviewed once again after the majority of Chileans rejected a recent effort to implement changes.
