archivos de los protestos globales
archives of global protests

Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2002
Solidarity with the Bolivian people!

Friends!
The situation is critical in Bolivia, where the "Cocalero" peasant
confederation and other social movements of Cochabamba (such as the Water
Coordination) are being severely attacked. There have been several dozen
demonstrators killed recently by the army, 60 leaders have been arrested
and the parliamentary immunity of Evo Morales has been lifted.

All those who had the privilege of meeting these comrades at the PGA
conference in Cochabamba - and hopefully many others - will want to give
them a hand now.
We will be demonstrating next friday.
A short dossier in spanish and french is available.
Olivier

Bolivia : another aggression of US neocolonialism

Under the pretext of a war on terrorism or on drugs, the US government,
with the complicity of local politicians and financiers, is pursuing its
longterm objective of a worldwide control over natural ressources and
strategic territories. Today, it threatens to submit by force any
resistance to its hegemonic ambitions.

After the Plan Colombia, the major social crises provoked in Ecuador and
the total destruction of the Argentine economy, the chaos generated by
market neocolonialism is now destabilising Bolivia. In this country,
violations of human rights are multiplying, in particular against the
peasant and indigenous population of the Cochabamba region.

Since several months, the Bolivian government has totally militarised this
region in order to eradicate the traditional cultivation of the coca plant,
a " war on drugs " whose real objective is the eviction of the peasants and
indigenous for the greater profit of the transnationals. The selling prices
of the so-called " substitution " crops are so low that its not worth
harvesting them. Thus the small family plots of coca are essential to the
peasants' survival.

The numerous demonstrations of the farmers unions have been brutally
repressed. Leaders have been shot in cold blood by the army. Their have
already been dozens of dead, among whom there were recently four soldiers.

The government seized upon this pretext to arrest 60 union leaders. The
Bolivian human rights organisations have already denounced the abuse that
they have suffered : beatings and wounds, electric shocks on the teeth, etc.

Simultaneously, the Parliament voted, in extremely dubious conditions, the
repeal of the parliamentary immunity of the deputy Evo Morales, one of the
most popular deputies and foremost union leaders of the country. The leader
of the " cocaleros " is accused of being the " intellectual author " of the
soldiers' deaths. Evo Morales has been on hunger strike for the past nine
days.

Moreover, Radio Soberania, which belongs to the peasant confederation of
Cochabamba has been heavily damaged and closed down without apparent motive
by the police.

The whole region suffers from a military occupation which seeks to repress
all demonstrations, roadblocks, etc. Organisations of other social sectors
in solidarity with the peasants are also brutally attacked. Thus the
offices of the Cochabamba Water Coordination have been vandalised and their
leader, Oscar Olivera indited for "sedition" !

Denouncing these flagrant violations of human rights and democratic
liberties, the organisations of several sectors, cocaleros, water
coordination, health workers, organisations of retired people, ecologists,
etc., demand :
- The immediate liberation of the union leaders and other political prisoners.
- The rehabilitation of deputy Evo Morales.
- The reopening of Radio Soberania.
- The distribution of land, the protection of the pension system and a halt
to privatisations.
- The long overdue instauration of a national dialog.
These movements in resistance have called for a national campaign of
demonstrations and roadblocks starting the 31 of january.

In Geneva, we will also manifest our solidarity with the Bolivian people
struggling against an ever more violent and destructive process of
globalisation.

Demonstration in front of the Bolivian Mission, Friday, February 8th from
17H to 19H (139 Rue de Lausanne)

The initial members of the Platform of support for the Bolivian people are:
Action Populaire Contre la Mondialisation (APCM), Association bolivienne
de Genève, Association de soutien à la feuille de coca, EA-CISA, CETIM,
LIDLIP, Nord-Sud XXI, SolidaritéS.

Geneva, January 31 2002

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