-
A team of Bolivian opposition legislators is visiting DC to denounce alleged "political persecution and human rights abuses" in Bolivia. A review of the issues they raise…Permalink On twitter.com
♻️ 4 Retweets ❤️ 8 Favorites Mood -5 🙁
-
1. Preventative detention of "opposition leaders, police and military officers, and other persons in civil society": officials led by former interim president Jeanine Áñez have been subpoenaed or detained under investigation for their role in the 2019 crisis.Permalink On twitter.com
-
Most are facing investigations related to a criminal case focused on a coup d'etat removing Evo Morales and installing Jeanine Áñez. Several detentions have come after these figures refused to testify before police or the legislature.Permalink On twitter.com
-
The case against Jeanine Áñez is plausible woborders.blog/2021/03/18/anez-arrested/ but the Arce government has muddied its legitimacy by pursuing criminal charges on matters of policy as well.Permalink On twitter.com
-
Former military officials have faced detention under investigation for the military's November 2019 announcement encouraging Evo Morales to resign. swissinfo.ch/spa/bolivia-justicia_exjefes-militares-y-policiales-en-la-mira-por-la-crisis-de-2019-en-bolivia/46457500Permalink On twitter.com
-
Military and police officials have also dodged subpoenas to testify on their massacres in Senkata and Sacaba, or been criminally charged for the killings. lostiempos.com/actualidad/pais/20210319/envian-carcel-exjefe-militar-caso-senkata | opinion.com.bo/articulo/pais/envian-carcel-exdirector-anh-es-segundo-caso-senkata/20210401215309814052.htmlPermalink On twitter.com
-
2. The delegation raises concerns about the influence of the governing party over the judiciary. The judiciary has indeed proved malleable and servile, swinging towards diametrically opposed governments in recent years, …Permalink On twitter.com
-
… and failing to act as a meaningful, independent check on overzealous prosecutions under Morales, Áñez, or Arce. Detailed summary from Human Rights Watch: hrwmirror.org/report/2020/09/11/justice-weapon/political-persecution-bolivia hrw.org/news/2021/03/22/bolivia-should-end-revenge-justicePermalink On twitter.com
-
3. The delegation flatly claims "there is vulneration of the democratic order in Bolivia." This is hard to sustain given the return of elected government in November 2020, the vibrant opposition campaigns in local elections, and opposition majority among governors elect.Permalink On twitter.com
-
But I think they are foreshadowing their fifth point here.Permalink On twitter.com
-
4. The delegation "denounces the creation of a false narrative of an supposed coup d'etat." Let's delve into that briefly.Permalink On twitter.com
-
Evo Morales' resignation was preceded by a mass protest campaign, a police mutiny, and statements from the military urging him to resign. During and since, Morales denounced a civic-police-military coup against him.Permalink On twitter.com
-
A breadth of social forces backed Evo resigning, many of whom were taken by surprise when a minor party senator (Áñez) assumed the presidency with support from security force hardliners. Others, myself included, have called this latter maneuver a coup. woborders.blog/2019/11/17/nightmare-scenario/Permalink On twitter.com
-
A panel of historians of Bolivia also weighed in on the question of a coup in late 2019. hahr-online.com/forum-contemporary-bolivia-and-history/Permalink On twitter.com
-
5. The delegation protests the "arbitrary change in regulations" of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly. The MAS legislative majority eliminated the 2/3 vote required for some votes. In North American terms, they eliminated the filibuster. @CarwilBJ/1321524816386658304Permalink On twitter.com
-
In a marker of their, shall we say, "partial" love for democracy, civic movement protesters urged the military to take power in response to this rule shift. paginasiete.bo/nacional/2020/10/26/grupos-civiles-en-santa-cruz-piden-las-ffaa-que-tomen-el-poder-272875.htmlPermalink On twitter.com
-
Here's the delegation itself: @HenryMonteroSCZ/1384545651359469578 an a report summarizing its agenda: lostiempos.com/actualidad/pais/20210420/comision-opositora-llega-eeuu-denunciar-persecucion-del-gobierno-del-masOn twitter.com