Photojournalists and press freedom activists have called on authorities in Chile to investigate the murder of a young photographer amid speculation that her death may have been linked to pictures she took during violent clashes between riot police and anti-government demonstrators. The body of Albertina Martínez was found in her apartment in the Chilean capital, Santiago on 21 November, two days after she had been seen heading to a protest nearby. She had been beaten, and a bag containing her camera, laptop and phone were missing. "The pictures she took that day have vanished, " said her sister, Priscilla. Sources close to the investigation say the case is being treated as a robbery with homicide, but the timing of the murder has prompted speculation that Martínez was targeted because she had been photographing the protests. "Chilean authorities should investigate the killing of Albertina Martínez Burgos thoroughly to determine if it was linked to her reporting, and do everything possible to recover her equipment and materials, " said Natalie Southwick from the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Can someone as alienated from the system as Pablo ever be part of a social consensus without which it will be impossible to change the laws of the land? Is there a chance he will ever inhabit a country where he will not be divided between his daytime job as a builder and his nighttime struggles as a destroyer of "oppressive" institutions? Without incessant pressure from below, can structural change ever be achieved? But if the situation gets out of hand, will the armed forces end up intervening to restore "order"? It remains to be seen if Chile will be able, in the stressful months ahead, to meet the social, economic and political challenges posed by the revolt. If the mainly peaceful Chilean people do manage such a seemingly intractable task — bridging the abyss between recalcitrant protesters and a fearful elite clinging to power — this deepening of democracy might show other nations a way to deal with similar divisions. It is something to aim for in these dire times of worldwide conflict and resistance.
Whether Chile will succeed in meeting the challenges of a restless, dissatisfied citizenry depends, in great measure, on the decisions of someone like Pablo Z., a 43-year-old father of four, whom I met a few days ago at the Plaza Italia, the epicenter of the uprising. Ever since the revolt demolished the certainties of Chile's exceptionalism as an oasis of neoliberal success in the Latin America, he has been living two parallel lives. By day, he works diligently at a construction job, building one of the many expensive high rises that are sprouting all over Santiago. In the evenings and often until dawn, he covers his features with a bandanna and battles the police alongside thousands of activists whose tactics have often turned violent and destructive — many times in response to the extraordinary police brutality of the past three months, which includes beatings, rapes in police stations and toxic material in water cannons. It is a level of violence not seen since the Pinochet era. The rebellion, backed by millions of Chileans who have flooded the streets, derives from a deep frustration with the neoliberal economic model of development that has dominated the country's existence for almost five decades and that has not delivered the promised prosperity and equal opportunities.
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A popular victory that, I hope, Pablo Z. could eventually recognize as his own and embrace as a way forward. Ariel Dorfman, a Chilean-American writer, is the author of "Death and the Maiden. " His latest books are the novel "Cautivos " and "The Rabbits' Rebellion, " a story for children. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We'd like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here's our email:. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.
Thus far, the protests have succeeded in ways that would have seemed impossible to even contemplate three months ago. Modifications to the inadequate and unfair health and educational systems and to the failing pension plans (privatized during the Pinochet dictatorship, 1973-1990) are underway, although still insufficient to quell the unrest. And the right-wing political parties that had always adamantly defended Pinochet's fraudulent Constitution of 1980, under which they had been able to veto any major changes, joined the parties of the center-left to propose an itinerary for a constitutional convention that will, by the end of April, begin creating a new and participatory Magna Carta born of the free will of the people. What matters most, perhaps, is that the country no longer thinks of itself as an "oasis" in a turbulent Latin America (in the words of the clueless President Sebastián Piñera) but rather as part of the continent's perpetual struggle for justice and equality. A new Chile seems to have been born.
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He had spoken to her the week before her death. "She said she enjoyed taking pictures at the protests, even though she was a little afraid, " he said. Photojournalists group Frente Fotograficó responded to Martínez's death by sharing her pictures of the protests, along with the hashtag #JUSTICIAPARAALBERTINA. "We will not forget her face or her name, " they wrote. The photojournalism collective Migrar Photo called on investigators for transparency and truth, and warned photographers to "look after one another". The group said that police animosity towards photographers has intensified in recent weeks, as coverage of protests has provided evidence of human rights abuses by the security forces. Members of the group have received threats from the police, and have been shot with pellets, teargas and water cannons. Chile is considered a safe country for journalists, ranked 46th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2019 World Press Freedom Index. But since the unrest began 10 weeks ago, RSF has condemned a series of attacks on the press, including forced detention.