Machupe Prisoners in Critical Condition

The 32 indigenous Mapuche prisoners waging a hunger strike for the last 53 days are suffering deteriorating health, with some at risk of dying, warned a group representing their relatives.
    According to coordinating committee spokeswoman Maria Tracal, the strikers were in critical condition, with the loss of muscle tissue and the malfunctioning of vital organs, such as lungs, kidneys, heart, and liver.
    In the last few days, several of the striking inmates in southern Chilean prisons have been taken to hospital emergency rooms. Meanwhile, demonstrations continued in the capital in support of the Mapuche struggle for land and against the militarization of Arauco through an anti-terrorism law.
    "We could be celebrating our (independence) bicentennial with dying Mapuches," warned a commentator on Bio Bio radio.