Political Protection for the Officer Who Blinded Senator Campillai: Chamber Requests Indulgence for Convicted Ex-Carabinero

Original article: Protección política para quien dejó ciega a la senadora Campillai: Cámara pide a Kast indultar al excarabinero condenado

The Chamber of Deputies approved a resolution on Tuesday requesting President José Antonio Kast to grant clemency to Patricio Maturana, a former captain of the Carabineros, who in November 2019 fired a tear gas canister that struck the face of current Senator Fabiola Campillai (Ind), leaving her blind.

During the session, the initiative received 73 votes in favor, 51 against, and 16 abstentions. Support for the request for clemency came from government legislators and the libertarian bloc, while opposition members rejected the proposal; the Party of the People (PDG) chose to abstain, except for Deputy Javier Olivares, who supported it. Additionally, from Renovación Nacional, deputies Diego Schalper, Ximena Ossandón, and Andrés Celis also opted not to side for or against.

Senator Campillai harshly criticized this political protection measure for her aggressor, despite having received a firm judicial sentence in the case, issued by the Oral Criminal Court of San Bernardo and later confirmed by higher courts.

«I sought justice in the courts and achieved it because Patricio Maturana shot me, blinded me, and took away my chance to see the faces of my children and grandchildren forever,» she stated.

It is important to recall that the former police officer was sentenced to 12 years and 183 days in effective prison for the crime of illegal coercion resulting in severe injuries, after his responsibility in firing a tear gas canister that hit Campillai in the face on November 26, 2019, while she was heading to transportation that would take her to work, causing her to lose her vision, smell, and taste.

Currently, the former officer is serving his sentence, but he benefits from a Sunday release, a measure that Campillai unsuccessfully tried to revoke at the San Bernardo Guarantee Court.

«The Chamber of Deputies approved an abhorrent resolution requesting clemency for the person who shot me and left me blind for life,» remarked the legislator, while warning that «with these acts of impunity, the right undermines the institutionality of this National Congress.»

«It’s an obscene obsession against my person, simply for being Fabiola Campillai. Because it hurts them, it bothers them to see a woman from a low-income community in this building,» she denounced in a video shared on her social media.

“This is hatred, classism, and revictimization,” she emphasized, noting that this clemency request reaffirms the impact on the victims of the events that occurred during the social unrest of 2019.

Campillai: «Libertarian gentlemen, republican gentlemen, be worthy of your position»

For the legislator, the approved resolution reveals the double standard of right-wing and far-right representatives, who, while centering their discourse on justice and security, seek to grant benefits and protect someone convicted of illegal coercion resulting in severe injuries.

She highlighted that «the most paradoxical aspect of all this» is that although the deputies behind the project, Cristóbal Urruticoechea, Pier Karlezi, Hans Marowski, «raise banners for ‘justice and security,’ they do not hesitate «to have as advisors apologists for pedophilia and to laugh at autistic children,» nor do they «hesitate in wanting to force a raped woman to listen to the heartbeat of the fetus before aborting.».

In fact, in recent weeks, Deputy Marowski —who claimed there are «reasons of justice, proportionality, and recognition of the service rendered to the country» to grant Kast the clemency for Maturana— has been at the center of controversy after Ítalo Omegna, who served as his chief of staff, resigned following the release of a video in which he made sexual comments about minors and advocated for pedophilia, including references to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Today, the Chamber of Deputies approved an abhorrent resolution requesting clemency for the person who shot me and left me blind for life.

It’s a sick obsession against me, simply for being Fabiola Campillai. Because it hurts them, they…

— Senator Fabiola Campillai (@DignidadFabiola) August 4, 2026

«I would be ashamed to sit in the chamber with such a level of hatred (…) Libertarian gentlemen, republican gentlemen, be worthy of your position,» asserted Campillai.

In the same vein, Deputy Ana María Gazmuri argued that the resolution requesting the clemency is «a signal of political opportunism that revictimizes Fabiola Campillai and relativizes the seriousness of human rights violations.»

«Justice and the dignity of the victims deserve respect, not gestures that only deepen their pain,» she stated in a message shared on X.

Could Kast Grant Clemency to Maturana?

The Chamber does not have the authority to grant clemency, and although its resolution does not obligate President José Antonio Kast to clemency for Patricio Maturana, it constitutes a political signal of support for the convicted ex-Carabinero.

It’s important to remember that on March 30, 2025, while still a candidate, the far-right leader met with Maturana in the Molina prison and declared on social media that the ex-captain “was convicted for doing his duty.”

“If I am President, I will review his case and promote his clemency. No more persecution of those who defended Chile,” he promised at that time.

After assuming office, Kast has made it clear that he will use his clemency authority in cases of uniformed personnel convicted for actions during the social outbreak, under extreme violence criteria.

On March 12, the day after the far-right leader assumed the presidency, Maturana’s lawyer, Nubia Vivanco, submitted a written request for clemency; however, no presidential decision regarding this request has been reported, and the administrative process is still ongoing at the Ministry of Justice.

Allegations of Domestic Violence

Among the arguments for requesting clemency for Patricio Maturana, lawyer Vivanco stated that the ex-Carabinero has «sought to repair the harm suffered by the victim as requested» and that «during the time he has served his sentence, he has maintained exemplary behavior».

However, she overlooked part of her client’s history, as he was previously reported in 2015 for domestic violence (DV) by his ex-partner, Katherine Silva.

“The accused, who was her partner at that time, after an argument, assaulted her by hitting her face and other parts of her body, and also choked her, causing minor injuries including facial bruising, lateral cervical abrasions, a circular bruise on the right arm, and forearm bruising,” indicates the complaint revealed by El Desconcierto.

In an interview with the same outlet, Silva stated, “Patricio Maturana had two investigations against me. Two. And still, they didn’t dismiss him. I wonder: how long will the institution cover up for these criminals? Because they can’t be called anything else (…) If this person had been dismissed when he attacked me, perhaps what happened to Fabiola wouldn’t have happened (Campillai), because he is a person who cannot control impulses; he is aggressive.”

Any modification to Patricio Maturana’s legal situation depends on President Kast’s final decision regarding the clemency request, as he has the exclusive authority to resolve this according to the Constitution and current regulations. However, the resolution promoted by the right highlights their stance to defend and protect a convicted individual, despite constantly raising banners of justice and security.