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New Information Implicates Officials in “Caranavi Case”

According to a report released yesterday by Rolando Villena, public defender in the case concerning the two deaths and 29 injuries caused by police action on May 8th, government minister Sacha Llorenti and police commander Óscar Nina bear more responsibility for the violence than previously had been reported. The report corroborates the findings of a report by the Permanent Assembly on Human Rights in Bolivia released last week. Both reports differ from a report by the Human Rights Commission of the Parliamentary Chamber which found Llorenti and the police force innocent in the matter.

The violence in question occurred on May 8th after a two-week-long roadblock by protesters in Caranavi was broken by a police operation. The strike-break resulted in two deaths and 29 injuries. The protesters had been disputing government plans to construct a citrus processing plan in Alto Beni when the plant had been promised to Caranavi initially. Mr. Villena´s report found that police action had “violated protesters´ dignity and had indiscriminately made arrests, used excessive force, intimidation, and threats, and had treated detained protesters in an inhuman and degrading way.” The report also charges that police unlawfully entered homes and employed excessive use of tear gas to disperse demonstrators. The report concludes that the police and ministry were responsible for the outcomes given that police did not follow the planned operation and higher-level ministers failed to respond quickly.

The document from the Assembly on Human Rights agreed with Villena´s conclusions saying, “the Government continues to be the principal offender of fundamental Bolivian rights and liberties.” The reports will be passed to the United Nations´ High Commission on Human Rights as well as the Public Ministry and the Legislative Assembly.

For more in Spanish see:

http://www.laprensa.com.bo/noticias/25-8-2010/noticias/25-08-2010_2966.php

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