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News > Bolivia

Bolivia's Ombudswoman Cruz Denounces Escalation of Violence

  • Image of police brutality during the U.S.-backed coup, El Alto, Bolivia, 2019.

    Image of police brutality during the U.S.-backed coup, El Alto, Bolivia, 2019. | Photo: Twitter/ @InfoNodal

Published 9 October 2020
Opinion

She warned that paramilitary groups have not been disarticulated. They are back in the streets with the support of the National Police.

Bolivia’s Ombudswoman Nadia Cruz Friday affirmed her country experiences an escalation of violence given that the coup-born regime led by Jeanine Añez is permanently threatening the execution of repressive operations in areas where Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) has greater electoral support.

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In a virtual hearing at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), she pointed out the police and military forces acquired weapons, bullets, gases, and anti-riot equipment to intimidate the opposition during the electoral period.

The Añez regime stated these weapons will be used against those who it calls "violent opponents" only because they express their divergence with the current situation.

"We request the active participation of the IACHR members to monitor the acts of violence that may arise during the electoral process, since operations to quell any protest, demonstration or conflict could lead to civilians’s deaths as it happened in 2019," she said.

Regarding the 2019 coup d’état against Evo Morales, Cruz affirmed that the Ombudsman's Office showed that very serious human rights violations were committed. So far, however, no serious investigations have been carried out on this subject.

The Añez regime constantly violated the judicial independence, as judges and prosecutors are subjected to criminal intimidation and even personal monitoring by police officers.

The ombudswoman also warned that journalists are facing problems in carrying out their work due to direct and indirect forms of persecution.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bolivia reported 41 violent attacks and urged the de facto government to investigate them.

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