Facundo Jones Huala Arrested in El Bolsón: The government of Rio Negro province has confirmed that fugitive Mapuche leader Facundo Jones Huala has been arrested today by police in El Bolson. The Mapuche leader detained in Rio Negro is still pending sentencing and has been on the run since February 11, 2022.
The administration of Governor Arabella Carreras said the indigenous activist was detained by police in the La Esperanza neighborhood of the Patagonian city on Monday morning.
As per the news, Facundo Huala was drunk found and hiding in the barbecue area of the house he broke into at 4 a.m. When the police arrived, he did not resist his arrest.
Facundo Jones Huala Wiki/ Wikipedia
Jones Huala, 36, has been on the run from the police since February last year. The leader of the Mapuche Ancestral Resistance (RAM) group is facing various charges in the courts, while Chile is also seeking his extradition for prison time related to crimes dating back to 2013.
He was also imprisoned in southern Chile’s Temuco in 2018, but the RAM leader was released on parole on January 21, 2022 – following an appeal for legal protection filed by his defense team.
Chile’s Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, has confirmed that the government has begun the process to request the extradition of Facundo Jones Huala, leader of the Mapuche movement, who was arrested on Monday in an Argentine province. Rio Negro has spent almost a year as a fugitive from justice.
Facundo Jones Huala was arrested today in Argentina and since his sentence is pending in Chile, the process of requesting his extradition has already been initiated.
Rio Negro Province’s Minister of Security and Justice, Betiana Minor, also warned that Facundo Jones Huala could be released if Chile did not request his extradition, as the general crimes of which the activist was accused were considered deterrents. Custody is not required. In an interview, he said, “For common crimes, we have a short period of 24 hours, but in order to maintain custody we desperately need Chile to request extradition.”
Jones Huala has an Interpol “Blue Alert”, the purpose of which is to obtain more information about an individual’s identity, whereabouts, or criminal activities in connection with a criminal investigation.
The government of Rio Negro province has confirmed that fugitive Mapuche leader Facundo Jones Huala has been arrested today by police in El Bolson.