When the water system in Cochabamba, Bolivia, was privatized and taken over by Bechtel Corporation of San Francisco, California, people responded with protests that finally reversed the privatization April 10, 2000.

To defend the contract, the government put thousands of police and military into the street, with a toll of dozens wounded and one 17 year old killed, Victor Hugo Daza. In the conflicts, the military used sharpshooters dressed in civilian clothing, firing military issue rifles into civilian crowds. One such sharpshooter, Captain Robinson Iriarte de la Fuente, a graduate of the U.S. School of the Americas, was caught on video.

Dressed in civilian clothing, Iriarite was filmed shooting at a crowd of protesters by a camera crew from Periodistas Asociados Televisión (PAT), an independent Bolivian television network. Eye witnesses have indicated that Victor Hugo was among the group under fire when he was fatally shot in the head. The footage capturing this event has been seen by people in Bolivia and around the world.

Democracy in Bolivia remains in a feeble state. On March 1, 2002, a military tribunal acquitted Capitan Iriarte of all responsibility associated with the shooting death of Victor Hugo Daza. To add insult to injury, upon Capitan Iriarte's acquittal by the military tribunal he was promoted to the rank of Major.

This act of impunity is the direct result of a manipulation of the Bolivian justice system. The circumstances surrounding Victor Hugo's death plainly demonstrate that Capitan Iriarte was dressed as a civilian, bearing no identification of his rank or affiliation, at the time he fired at a crowd of unarmed civilians. However, rather than proceed through the civilian criminal justice system, this case was immediately transferred to a military tribunal which enjoys absolute and final jurisdiction over the cases before it.

On behalf of the family of Victor Hugo and the people of Cochabamba, we denounce this arbitrary and unjust exercise of military power. This crime must not go unpunished. We call upon the government to hold Captain Iriarte accountable for his actions and to demonstrate that in a democratic society no one is above the law.

Based on the foregoing, we ask you to send letters of protest of this act of impunity to the Department of Justice and the Bolivian Parliament, whose addresses follow:

Tribunal de Justicia Suprema Militar
Fax: (591-2) 2337771

Comando General del Ejercito
comanejito@ns.ejercito.mil.bo

Ministerio de Justicia
Email: minjust@caoba.entelnet.bo
fax (591-2) 2356781

With copy to us:
fabrilco@supernet.com.bo
fax: (591-4) 4503530