The Chilean Government required “uncovered faces” in the protests

Chile, August 13, 2011

Rodrigo Hinzpeter, Chile’s interior minister, said “the demonstrations should be done with clean hands and uncovered faces. The time when people hide their faces not to fall to justice must end”.

He also announced a draft law amending the Decree 1086, which regulates the mobilization and thus prohibits the attendance to the marches “hooded, with scarves or anything that covers the face”.

It also will increase penalties for disorderly in public, condemning the participants to 341 days to three years in prison.

“We have to reconcile the rights, we have to put a shortcut to criminals and should be noted that often the peaceful demonstrations, such as the one held by the students, are distorted by people who attend only to commit crimes and excesses” he added.

Students have called on Tuesday in Santiago more than seventy thousand people, which ended in riots after clashes with police, leaving 396 arrested, 78 wounded and burning cars and buildings.

Different groups condemned these new decisions and stated that the abuses do not represent the requirement of a free and public education.