An NGO said Bolivia should not participate in the Summit of the Americas

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The organization Global Human Rights League (GHRL), dedicated to the defense and promotion of human rights, assures that Bolivia is under a dictatorial state and that for this reason it should not participate in the next Summit of the Americas.

To reaffirm this accusation, the NGO points out that the Andean country violates the 5 points of article 3 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which establishes the essential elements of representative democracies.

Read also: Check out our coverage on Bolivia

In a letter addressed to US President Joe Biden, the Secretary of State, the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, GHRL attached a list of political prisoners that includes journalists, judges, military, police officers, human rights activists and former president Jeanine Añez.

In addition, they report that there are currently 8,436 requests for political asylum. Of these requests, 1,105 of them were made in the United States, the letter says.

They also recall that during the 2019 presidential elections, the OAS observed 226 irregularities and confirmed electoral fraud.

“Regarding partisan pluralism and the separation of powers, it is important that you know that, in 2021, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) approved the statute (Law Number 1096) of the ruling party MAS-IPSP, which establishes that all public government employees must being a member of the MAS-IPSP party, which violates the right to work, freedom of association and even freedom of thought,” the letter denounces.

“President (Biden), we believe that the Republic of Bolivia and any of its representatives should not make an appearance at the Summit of the Americas. We respectfully request your government to deny your inclusion in this important event dedicated to protecting democracy.”

On April 13, the United States presented its annual report on human rights, in which it expressed concern about the torture, executions and repression that were perpetrated in various countries around the world. This State Department document, relating to 2021, serves as a guide for the US Congress when determining the foreign aid granted to each nation.

In addition to mentioning Russia, Cuba, Nicaragua and China, nations in which human rights are violated, there is a section dedicated to Bolivia and, in it, it is pointed out that the Government of Luis Arce directed the process against the former president interim Jeanine Añez and other former authorities, in addition to exerting pressure on the judges who carry out these cases.

“Both Police Chief Jhonny Aguilera and Government Minister Eduardo del Castillo flew to Trinidad, Bolivia, where Añez lived, to supervise her arrest. The presence of these high officials, highly irregular for an arrest operation, was an indicator that the government at the highest level was directing the process against Añez and others, putting tremendous pressure on judges who already lacked real independence” says an excerpt from the report highlighted by the local newspaper Página Siete.

The aforementioned media outlet recalls that between March 12 and 13, 2021, former ministers Álvaro Coimbra and Rodrigo Guzmán and former president Áñez were arrested. Subsequently, former police and military chiefs and other authorities of the interim government were arrested for the “coup d’état” case.