Bolivia Human Rights
Human Rights Concerns
In 1985, Bolivia radically changed its economic policy by adopting the free trade model in an orthodox manner. Politically, in the year 2000, voices started to be heard both against the economic system and against the traditional system of political parties. The criticism against the economic model was based on the fact that promises of modernity and of a drastic reduction in poverty were never fulfilled. The loss of prestige in the political power was based on the feeling that all politicians had lost their role as representatives of the nation, and alternately focused themselves on trying to accumulate even more power.
This critical process reached its climax in the year 2003 when, following the decision of exporting gas to the United States of America through a Chilean harbor, the loss of prestige in the political class grew even further, because it was thought that politicians were selling the country's natural resources to foreigners to the total detriment of the energetic needs of Bolivian people.
Two months of protest, and around 81 deaths made President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada leave power in his second presidential term and flee to the United States of America. After Sánchez de Lozada resigned, vise-president Carlos Mesa assumed power. Mesa, despite having began his temporary presidential term with a high support from the people, resigned in July, 2005, after the impossibility of governing due to the continuous protests. After this situation, Eduardo Rodríguez Veltze, President of the Supreme Court, assumed power, and the Congress announced the anticipation of the presidential and parliamentary elections.
The elections have been set on the 4th of December; the main candidates are former President Jorge Quiroga, Samuel Doria Medina, businessman and former militant in the Left Wing Revolutionary Movement (MIR) and Evo Morales, native leader and cocalero leader.
Bolivia and Evo Morales
For the first time in its history, Bolivia has an indigenous president. Last November 18th, the “cocalero” official, and leader of the Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS), Evo Morales AIMA won the presidential elections. Morales was elected with 53.7% of the votes, which makes him the first president to win an election with an absolute majority since the return of democracy in 1982. Read more. »
"Neither forgiveness nor pardon." Justice!
Two years after the crisis of October 2003, thousands of people marched in different cities of Bolivia to commemorate the 60 deaths and the 141 injured resulting from the so called "gas war." In an ongoing judicial process, the search continues to disclose who were responsible for giving the order to shoot at the protesters. Read more. »
Latest News
Bolivia: Victims of the Pando massacre still await justiceSeptember 16, 2009
Summit of the Americas fails to address human rights
April 20, 2009
Amnesty International puts human rights on Americas Summit agenda
April 16, 2009
Bolivia's constitution – civil conflict and social progress
November 21, 2008
Americas: AI 2008 Annual Report Regional Update
May 28, 2008
Bolivia: Amnesty International visits the country 23 February to 6 March
February 19, 2007
Latest Reports
Vital UN human rights work under threatMay 09, 2007
Bolivia: Open Letter to the President of the Republic of Bolivia, Evo Morales Ayma
August 18, 2006
Bolivia:Open letter from Amnesty International to the candidates to the Presidency of Bolivia
December 12, 2005
Bolivia: Crisis and Justice - Days of Violence in February and October 2003
November 30, 2004
