Rodrigo Mundaca
"Es un gran honor, estamos tremendamente commovidos con este premio que no esperábamos”
- Rodrigo Mundaca
Rodrigo and his colleagues have fought tirelessly for the protection of others. Stand with the brave - demand that the Chilean government stops threatening them and starts protecting these human rights defenders.
Rodrigo Mundaca - Chile
Hoy vemos que los conflictos por el agua son cada día más frecuentes, y colocan en colisión dos miradas de ella que representan también dos opciones sociales y políticas frente al futuro de la humanidad y el planeta
Rodrigo Mundaca is an agricultural engineer and the Spokesperson for Movimiento por la Defensa del Agua, Protección de la Tierra y Respeto al Medio Ambiente – MODATIMA (Movement for the Defense of Water, Protecction of the Earth and Respect for the Environment). MODATIMA works to promote water rights in the Chilean province of Petorca, where access to water by local communities has dramatically deteriorated in recent years. Water shortages have been caused by droughts and because of a massive increase in the water-intensive production of avocados, which has resulted in widespread privatisation of waters and emergence of illegal pipes that carry water from rivers to private wells.
Rodrigo Mundaca and the members of MODATIMA have faced death threats, criminal charges and harassment at their workplaces. They have been threatened with violence and imprisonment and targeted with defamation campaigns where they are labelled as anti-development and eco-terrorists. MODATIMA y Rodrigo Mundaca have been included in Amnesty International campaign "Brave".
Chile has made significant progress in relation to respect for and protection of human rights since the end of the Pinochet dictatorship and it is one of the South-American countries which has had success in bringging those responsible for the attrocities perpetrated during the dictatorship to justice. Despite of all the developments, HRDs still face police abuses, with demonstrations and street protests being violently repressed several times.
