Original article: Gustavo Gatica cerró su campaña en Pudahuel con llamado a repudiar dichos de Kaiser: «Los derechos humanos no dependen del gobierno de turno»

Gustavo Gatica Concludes Campaign in Pudahuel, Urging Repudiation of Kaiser’s Comments: «Human Rights Are Not Subject to Political Change»

Joined by Pudahuel’s Mayor, Ítalo Bravo, and a large crowd gathered outside the Metro Barrancas, independent leftist candidate for the Chamber of Deputies, Gustavo Gatica, officially wrapped up his campaign with a rally.

The event marked the culmination of a campaign deeply rooted in local issues, emphasizing mental health advocacy, security as a social right, and the goal of fostering a more equitable and caring community.

In his speech, Gatica expressed gratitude for the broad support received in neighborhoods, fairs, community centers, and Metro stations over the past months: «This campaign was built in the streets, with the people. This is where real transformations begin, where the community meets, converses, and cares for one another,» he stated before hundreds of attendees filling the lateral plaza of Metro Barrancas.

Mayor Ítalo Bravo also highlighted Gatica’s candidacy: «District 8 needs voices that emerge from the real experience of our communities and that defend people’s dignity with conviction. Gustavo embodies that strength, as he has turned pain into hope and commitment.»

«His arrival in Congress will ensure that popular areas like Pudahuel are truly represented in solutions that directly impact our neighbors’ everyday lives,» the mayor added.

Both leaders called for participation in the upcoming elections on Sunday: «We need hope to triumph over fear and for all of us to safeguard democracy,» they affirmed.

In response to recent statements from far-right candidate Johannes Kaiser, who indicated he would pardon police officers convicted of human rights violations, alongside Claudio Crespo, a former official accused of causing Gustavo Gatica’s blindness during the social uprising, the congressional candidate expressed strong disapproval.

«I not only reject his words; I condemn them. They represent a profound disrespect to the victims and a severe step back in justice, memory, and guarantees of no repetition,» Gatica stated, adding that «the far-right candidate is mistaken to invite someone accused of such a serious crime as shooting a person in the face and leaving them blind. Behind every injury, every lost eye, there are stories, families, and lives that have changed forever.»

He emphasized that «human rights are not to be relativized. They do not depend on the current government or political conveniences. They are universal, and respecting them constitutes the ethical minimum of any democracy. Pardoning those who fired upon citizens is not justice: it’s impunity. It sends a message to victims that their pain is irrelevant,» Gatica concluded.

El Ciudadano