Adepcoca denounces that César Apaza was tortured and asks to stop the arrests of its leaders

The coca grower leader César Apaza would have suffered abuse by the Police at the time of his arrest. In the early hours of this Thursday, the partners, relatives and the lawyer of the Departmental Association of Coca Producers (Adepcoca) denounced.

Gualberto Cusi, a lawyer for Adepcoca, told the media that when Apaza was taken to the Special Force to Fight Crime (Felcc) in La Paz, he was tortured, beaten by hooded personnel and in front of police director Rolando Rojas. Later, when it was arranged to take him to the Felcc in El Alto, he would also have been dragged to the vehicle that transferred him, Cusi said.

“At the moment they made him arrive at the Felcc offices, more than 15 hooded men, in front of Colonel Rojas, they have proceeded to violate him; he (he received) punches, kicks and all kinds of acts of torture ”reported the lawyer, in time to announce that they will file a formal complaint for these “inhuman and cruel” treatment against their client.

Apaza’s sister ratified Cusi’s version. She affirmed that César Apaza received multiple blows to the body and that proof of this is the bruises that he presents on his body. Nor rules out that there is even a rib fracture.

In this regard, Rolando Rojas, director of the Felcc, denied that there had been any mistreatment and clarified that, for security reasons, he was transferred to El Alto, in addition to anticipating that a forensic medical assessment will be carried out to determine the state of health of the coca grower leader.

The leader of Adepcoca, Rosalba Vargas, also condemned Apaza’s arrest, which she refers to as “kidnapping”, since The coca grower leader was taken practically unconscious by the Police.

In addition, he emphasized that they will not allow new apprehensionss and announced that, from Friday to Sunday, meetings will be held in the Yungas to assume new measures.

He also announced that next Monday They will travel to the Government Headquarters to carry out new mobilizations in rejection of the apprehensions of the cocalero leaders.

César Apaza, like Freddy Machicado, is accused of at least 15 crimes, that have to do with the intervention in the parallel coca market in the Villa El Carmen area, an event that occurred on September 8.