Resilient Memory: Commemorations Honor Alex Lemún and Camilo Catrillanca, Young Mapuche Lives Lost to State Agents

Original article: Memoria que resiste: Manifestaciones recuerdan a Alex Lemún y Camilo Catrillanca, jóvenes mapuche asesinados por agentes del Estado

23 and 7 Years Since the Iconic Murders of Lemún and Catrillanca

The legacy of Alex Lemún and Camilo Catrillanca, two young Mapuche whose deaths at the hands of state agents underscored critical moments in the La Araucanía conflict, has been powerfully rekindled amid renewed commemorations and reports of ongoing repression. Marking 23 and 7 years since their respective murders, communities continue to demand truth and justice while facing persistent criminalization.

The Murder of Alex Lemún

Alex Lemún Saavedra, just 17 years old, died on November 12, 2002, following five days of agony after being shot in the head by then-Carabineros Major Marco Treuer Heysen. The incident occurred during a territorial recovery on land owned by Forestal Mininco. His death marked the beginning of a new era of militarization, judicial persecution, and the criminalization of the Mapuche movement, under the enforcement of the Anti-Terrorism Law.

Impunity in the Lemún case spanned two decades. Despite causing the death of an unarmed teenager, Treuer was «protected and promoted» within the Carabineros, ultimately rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Only in 2022, following a lengthy legal battle by his family and intervention from the IACHR, was the former officer sentenced to seven years in prison, representing a delayed response to the Mapuche demands.

In this context, a meeting organized by CIDSUR and the Lemún Saavedra family was remembered: “Lemún, Seeking Justice in Wallmapu.”

Watch video:

The Murder of Camilo Catrillanca

On November 14, 2018, history repeated itself with the murder of 24-year-old Camilo Catrillanca. The young father, who was expecting another child, was killed while trying to protect a child on a tractor, shot in the back and head by members of the Jungle Command. Reports indicate that Catrillanca was already under police surveillance.

Catrillanca’s crime was shrouded in a web of deceit and significant political responsibility. A report from the Chamber of Deputies established “the direct political responsibility of former Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick,” detailing that his death resulted from a conscious intensification of institutional violence and criminalization policies against the Mapuche people by the Government. In 2021, former GOPE member Carlos Alarcón was sentenced to 16 years in prison for being the material author of the homicide.

The Lof Temucuicui, Catrillanca’s community, issued a statement condemning the “#hate and #racism” aimed at them by right-wing candidates looking to blame them for unrelated incidents. They expressed “deep concern and rejection of the harsh sentences imposed on young Mapuche,” asserting that “while the powerful…walk free, Chilean justice continues to apply all its weight against our people.”

See Temucuicui’s statement (Shared by Janekeo Medios)

The commemoration of these murders has not been free from renewed repression. Recently, the Mapuche Home Pelontuwe in Temuco reported that Carabineros “violently and illegally entered the home, detaining a person inside” while demonstrations for Lemún, Catrillanca, and Jordan Llempi were taking place. Supporters waiting for their release at the police station “were harassed and violently confronted by Carabineros.”

Video from Pelontuwe Home (Shared by Radio Kurruf)

Over the years, families and communities have kept the memory alive and demand justice. The Lof Temucuicui called on their people to participate in the seventh commemoration of their “peñi weichafe #CamiloCatrillanca Yem,” declaring: “We continue and will keep resisting… For Camilo lives in the struggle, because there will be no forgetfulness or forgiveness. Freedom for all #PoliticalPrisonersMapuche.”