President Arce apologizes to victims of 2019 crisis in Bolivia

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, asked for forgiveness this Tuesday (17) to the victims of the social and political crisis experienced in the country in 2019 and insisted that there was a “coup d’état” that year, upon receiving the report of the group of experts sent by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on these events.

“Today we honor the memory of all the mortal victims during this dismal period and, although the guilty parties never did so, on behalf of the State we ask for their forgiveness and accompany the pain of their families”, said Arce in an act organized by his government to receive the report of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI).

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He then read the names of the 37 people who died during the crisis and asked for a minute of silence in their memory, after which the attendees shouted for “justice”.

Among those in attendance were representatives of the victims of the so-called Senkata and Sacaba massacres that occurred after Evo Morales resigned from the presidency, as well as diplomats and public officials.

Also participating virtually was the president of the IACHR, Antonia Urrejola, and two vice presidents of that body, who assured that the report was prepared with “independence” and reiterated the body’s commitment to the defense of human rights.

Representing the GIEI was the Argentine Patricia Tappatá, who explained the report’s scope and conclusions, which established that in the last quarter of 2019, “serious human rights violations were committed in Bolivia.”

Based on some fragments of the report, Luis Arce reiterated that there was a “coup d’état” in 2019, even though Tappatá had previously clarified that the GIEI “did not enter to elucidate whether the problems surrounding the electoral process” of that year “constituted fraud or coup d’état” because that issue was not part of the mandate they received.

Bolivia remains embroiled in a controversy between the ruling party, which claims that Evo Morales was overthrown by a coup d’état, and his detractors, who maintain that the crisis was a consequence of the allegations of fraud in favor of the former president in the failed general elections of 2019, which were later annulled.

GOVERNMENT COMMITMENTS

Arce said the report should serve so that what happened in Bolivia “is never repeated” in the country or in “any part of the world”.

He expressed his government’s “firm commitment” to implement the recommendations made by the GIEI and announced that a commission “of the highest level” will be created to advance in a census of the victims of the crisis “and its corresponding integral reparation”.

He also stated that, in response to one of these recommendations, an amnesty decree signed during his administration, which was criticized by the opposition as benefiting only supporters of the ruling party Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), will be repealed.

In addition, Arce announced that “all para-police organizations and irregular groups will be dismantled”, urged the Public Ministry to assume the actions suggested by the GIEI, and asked the Legislature to approve “in the shortest possible time the trial of responsibilities” to establish responsibilities and sanctions for these events.

The GIEI will present the report to the media in La Paz soon and established a schedule to disseminate it in different parts of Bolivia.