Original article: Macarena Mercado: «Muchas veces me comparé con casos de mutilaciones y otro tipo de torturas y pensaba: lo que me pasó no fue tanto, mejor no hago nada»
Text: Morín Ortiz Herrera / Photos: Valentina Arenas, Raúl Snow / Recorded: Byron Flores
On February 5, 2026, the Guarantee Court of Osorno found Valentina Beatriz Ríos Toledo, a Carabinera from the First Police Station of Osorno, guilty of the crime of unlawful coercion. She was sentenced to 61 days of lower security imprisonment at the minimum degree, along with a suspension from public duties during the sentence, to be served conditionally with required reporting for a year.
This ruling comes seven years after the events of October 22, 2019, during one of the massive protests of the Social Uprising in Chile, which that night led to seven arrests at the First Police Station of Carabineros in Osorno. The sole female detainee was Macarena Mercado Alarcón, a victim of this crime, who decided to share her testimony following the conviction to confront this traumatic experience and help prevent its recurrence.
After being violently arrested with blows and hair pulling, while Macarena waited in a room with other detainees that October night, Officer Maira Wilson Núñez took her to a nearby bathroom where Corporal Valentina Ríos Toledo ordered her to strip completely while putting on gloves.
The victim asked if this was necessary, to which Ríos replied violently, «Shut up, I am the one giving orders, do you not understand?»
Below are some excerpts from the first-person account that formed part of the legal complaint filed by the victim alongside lawyers from the Centro de Investigación y Defensa Sur:
“First, I took off the upper part of my clothing, and she insisted that I had to remove all my clothes. At that moment, I told her I was on my menstrual period, and she aggressively responded, «I’m asking if you’re on your period; I gave you an order, pull down your panties.»
“Due to her insistence and despite my objections, I was cruelly compelled to comply with her degrading command, which was not only about being forced to undress while menstruating, but I was also ordered to do a certain number of squats while counting them.”
“I was so shaken and emotionally affected by the violence I was undergoing that I couldn’t count; she then said to me, «Don’t you know how to count?» I replied that I did, but she shouldn’t treat me that way, to which she mockingly retorted, «Do you think I want to be your friend?» I said no.”
“I was subjected to a body search amidst insults and threats, before being taken back to the room with all the detainees. I later learned that only I was forced to undress and do squats, while the male detainees were not subjected to such treatment, which intensified my emotional distress.”
Back in the room, Macarena requested her bag from Corporal Sebastián Uribe Retamal, who had arrested her hours earlier. When he asked what she did for a living, she hesitated at first but eventually replied that she worked at a school, to which he looked at her and remarked, «Look how pretty the teacher is, see the example you’re setting?»
“Then another police officer arrived and asked him to take a photo of my driver’s license for an official report to prevent me from performing any public function. Not satisfied with this threat, after finding my car keys, he told me my car was totally destroyed and that I would only find its shell.”
None of these threats materialized. Finally, at 3:30 AM, without further justification or explanation, she was taken to the Ovejería police station. Once there, she was released around 6:00 AM.
El Ciudadano: What does this verdict mean for you?
This verdict is very significant for me because it contributes to repairing the damage caused by being a victim of a violation of our human rights and also as a woman. Although it took a long time for this conviction to come out, it was worth it because it will set a precedent to ensure these situations do not happen again or remain unpunished.
The abuse of power by state agents exercised during the Social Uprising in Chile in 2019 was brutal. Like my case, many others occurred—some filed complaints that did not progress, while others didn’t even initiate the process.
I wanted to persist until the end despite the difficulties of the process, not just for myself but also for the women who experienced similar situations and didn’t persist, and to ensure that the institution of Carabineros de Chile understands that the institutional violence they exercise must involve mechanisms for control, investigation, and effective sanctions, along with a gender perspective that ensures respect for the dignity and rights of all individuals.
What happened with my case is a significant achievement; I am grateful for the commitment of all the professionals at CIDSUR, who have worked diligently to achieve this conviction, as well as to the INDH for their presence throughout this process.
Despite all the obstacles and the slow process on the part of the judiciary, we achieved a conviction against the Carabinera, and for me, that is incredibly important so that hopefully they think twice before engaging in such procedures against a woman again.
EC: How did you experience the process of deciding to file this complaint?
I experienced this process mostly in solitude because it was traumatic. Many times, I compared myself with other cases of comrades who suffered mutilations and other types of torture and thought, ‘what happened to me wasn’t that bad; I might as well do nothing.’ But later, after discussing it and reflecting calmly with people who were with me that day and when the INDH took my case, I realized that I had been a victim of a serious violation of human rights and torture.
It was also important as a woman to highlight the gender issue and not allow the harm I faced to go unpunished. I always kept in mind the need to do it for others, including women and girls who had been violently affected in the same context. That motivated me to file the complaint against the State of Chile, to establish a precedent and a record of the incident.
I believe the hardest part was carrying this process without the support of my mother and grandmother, who have always been my fundamental pillars, as I haven’t been able to tell them what happened because I don’t want them to be affected or to suffer.
EC: What effects have you suffered as a result of this crime?
Primarily, my mental health has deteriorated. The trauma caused me to leave the city with my son and daughter to live in Pucatrihue, 60 km from Osorno. For a year and a half, I couldn’t see any police on the streets without freezing and trembling.
Additionally, my role as a single mother was impacted; due to depression following the incident, I didn’t want to get up, cook, or attend to my children’s needs, leading my eldest son to take on the role of caregiver for his younger sister, a situation that should not have fallen to him.
I was also let go from my job at the school under the pretense of company necessity, so the impacts were financial as well. In terms of my self-perception as a woman, the physical and psychological abuse was severe and traumatic, causing me to doubt my worth as a person, as a mother, and as a professional.
It has been very challenging to perceive my body after what happened without feeling fear or shame. I went a year suffering from sleep disorders and nightmares. A situation of torture and humiliation can destroy a person; I believe I only managed to move forward and regain strength to continue my life for my children.
EC: As president of the Ayekantun Collective, how have you experienced this process collectively, and how does it impact your approach to social organization?
The collective was formed after the events in 2022. One of the reasons was to avoid having to hide as I did for almost two years following the crime I suffered. We turned to art as a form of resistance, which reinforces social fabric and builds collectively to fight from another, less individualistic front.
We, the members of the Ayekantun Collective, are close friends, artists, and cultural managers. When I shared my situation and the judicial process I was undergoing, they supported me and have also provided the emotional support I needed during this time.
I believe this impacted our organizational methods; I didn’t want to be afraid to express my ideas or be free to say what I think or feel, but I also didn’t want to expose myself to experiencing another assault like the one I endured. Thus, creating a legal personality was crucial to feel supported and accompanied by more people, all with similar political beliefs and local relevance, allowing us to be in public spaces without fear of being expelled by the Carabineros, since now we had municipal permission to hold activities, discussions, fairs, exhibitions, among others.
And that’s what we’ve been doing until now; I believe it has been a beautiful way to continue resisting against this socio-political model.
EC: What reflections would you like to share seven years after the Social Uprising in Chile, considering the current political landscape with the arrival of Kast’s far-right government?
I believe seven years have passed incredibly fast; it’s still hard for me to process that, as it feels like it was just yesterday. There are mixed feelings since, on one hand, we experienced something that seemed impossible in Chile—seeing people on the streets questioning the neoliberal model, capitalism, highlighting social injustices, and an entire system, which was beautiful. On the other hand, there was repression, deaths, mutilations, and human rights violations, only for people to later vote against the new Constitution—something that was incredibly disheartening.
Even more disappointing is that despite everything that happened seven years ago, people voted again for the far-right.
In the current situation with Kast’s government, I find it particularly vital to express and manifest our stances. It’s necessary to vocalize demands for a life free from violence, for the guarantee of sexual and reproductive rights, and for the protection of public policies aimed at gender equity in light of a political cycle that generates uncertainty regarding these issues.
I am concerned about the setbacks concerning women’s rights and gender policies. Therefore, this March 8th, we should view it not just as a date for commemoration and memory of the historic struggles for equality, but also as a space for political articulation and defense of the advances gained in recent decades.
Carabinera Appeals Conviction
For his part, lawyer Mauricio Reidenbach from the Centro de Investigación y Defensa Sur, who represents Macarena, stated that after this conviction, the case is currently under review by the Court of Appeals in Valdivia, following the defense attorneys for the convicted Valentina Ríos filing a nullity appeal.
In response to this appeal, the plaintiffs’ attorneys express, “We confidently and assuredly await the hearing of the case in court, from which we expect a reaffirmation of the decision made by the Guarantee Court of Osorno, particularly maintaining the suspension of public positions and duties for the convicted officer, which is especially relevant to remove such individuals from state function who abuse public powers.”
“The arguments presented by the former officer in her nullity appeal are insignificant; they do not change the status of the convicted person, and therefore should be rejected,” added lawyer Reidenbach.
El Ciudadano
