IACHR: There were massacres in Bolivia in 2019 after the electoral conflict 2:50
(CNN Spanish) -
The group of independent experts of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that worked in Bolivia for eight months said Tuesday that it found evidence of the disproportionate use of military and police force during the political and social crisis unleashed after the controversial elections of October 20, 2019.
In the report presented this Tuesday, the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) affirms that these state agents did not adequately prevent acts of violence, leaving citizens unprotected.
GIEI expert Patricia Tappatá stressed that they do not hesitate to classify the events that occurred in Sacaba, in the department of Cochabamba, and Senkata, in the city of El Alto in La Paz, as a massacre.
Carlos Mesa, former president of Bolivia and head of the opposition Citizen Community party, said on Twitter that he agrees with the report that recommends guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary.
"We agree and support the GIEI report: the reform of the judicial and fiscal system and the change of its operators are requirements to guarantee justice and due process in the cases that must be tried ...", said Mesa.
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37 dead and hundreds injured
The interdisciplinary group's report adds that in the incidents, which occurred between September 1 and December 31, 2019, there were victims from both sides of the conflict.
It also estimates that this violence caused the deaths of 37 people and that hundreds of people were physically and psychologically injured.
The group specified that the investigation "does not consider whether there was a coup or electoral fraud."
The report contains more than 30 recommendations that, according to experts, seek reparation for the damage, justice and strategic actions so that these events are not repeated.
President Luis Arce said that the document would help resolve what happened.
"This report will be able to help us rectify, establish the truth and seek justice for our society," Arce said during the presentation of the report.
As for the previous government, there are currently no official spokespersons and many of the main actors are behind bars, so CNN has not yet been able to establish contact with them or their representatives.
The Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI-Bolivia) of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) was formed exclusively to investigate the acts of violence and the violation of human rights of September 1 and December 31, 2019 .
The GIEI-Bolivia report consists of eight chapters and responds to the agreement signed between the IACHR and the transitory government of former president Jeanine Áñez to clarify the acts of violence that occurred during the political and social crisis of 2019.