Page Seven / La Paz
When the world commemorated the 73rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, approved on December 10, 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly, in Bolivia there was an attack against the citizens of Potosí, a fact that refloats the tension politics in the country.
The arrest of Marco Pumari, former president of the Potosinista Civic Committee (Comcipo), and the arrest warrants for the current president Juan Carlos Manuel and the leader Ramiro Subia, unleashed the condemnation of citizens from eight regions, citizen platforms and political leaders.
Photo: APG
Likewise, the Comcipo emergency advisory council gave the government an ultimatum to withdraw the more than 2,000 police officers from six departments who arrived at Villa Imperial, and announced a meeting for Monday. Meanwhile, the Permanent Assembly of Human Rights of Bolivia (Apdhb) denounced a “procedural setup” before the Committee Against Torture of the United Nations (UN).
The National Council of Civic Committees of Bolivia issued a statement rejecting the actions against the civic movement of Potosí and called to “defend their rights and freedoms,” the institutionality and democracy.
“The National Civic Movement will not allow a new violation of the democratic system and the legitimate regulation of society. We will defend Bolivia as many times as necessary, protected by the Political Constitution of the State, while the regime tries to break the democratic system once again, ”the statement reads.
In turn, the citizen platforms declared themselves in a state of emergency and condemned that the police operation be carried out one day after the International Day of the Declaration of Human Rights is commemorated.
“One night before commemorating the International Day of the Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, the dictatorial government of Luis Arce Catacora unleashes a political repression late at night, as in the worst times of the military dictatorships” , said Julio Alvarado, representative of the citizen platforms.
For his part, Manuel Morales, from the National Committee for the Defense of Democracy (Conade), described the events in Potosí as a violation of the democratic system and stated: “We are with the platforms and it draws our attention to how the Police and the Public Ministry They have proceeded by raiding the Comcipo offices. We also consider the arrest of Marco Pumari illegal ”.
Political leaders critical of the Government also questioned and reproached the action against Potosinos civic. In the opinion of the leader of the first opposition force, CC, Carlos Mesa, the government of Luis Arce gave a display of “violence, dictatorial attitude, autocracy, persecution and arbitrariness.”
“Marco Pumari is arrested, no; he is violently kidnapped. In this operation, violent actions are also taken against four citizens who are abused without any kind of contemplation, “he said, and stressed that the detention of Pumari was handled confidentially even for his relatives.
Likewise, the governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho, stated: “We strongly reject the police intervention in Potosí and the arrest of Marco Pumari. With this act, the government of Luis Arce takes a step typical of the worst dictatorships of before ”.
While former President Tuto Quiroga even compared the actions of the Government with that of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. “MAS government replicates Ortega’s tactics, by unleashing the hunt for opponents in Potosí, arresting former vice-president candidate Marco Pumari without prior summons, and criminalizing the protest against bad laws that they repealed,” he wrote on Twitter.
For his part, the UN leader, Samuel Doria Medina, stated: “The Government used force in an extraordinary and undemocratic way to arrest Pumari. It is despicable that they want to intimidate Potosí, but they will achieve the opposite, as always when a brave people is offended ”.
Cabildo and ultimatum
With Comcipo headless, Roxana Grass assumed the interim command and directed the advisory council summoned before the emergency by the arrest warrants and the vigorous police presence in the Imperial Villa.
“Today the people are speaking out. They want a council to exist and demand that all the repressive police that have arrived in Potosí have to leave within 24 hours. Those are the main conclusions and that the parliamentary brigade assumes defense of all our civic colleagues who are being persecuted, ”he communicated.
The leader indicated that the Potosí town council is getting ready for Monday, and that among other measures a meeting at the national level with all civic committees will be required. He also reported that all churches will be asked to ring the bells at a certain time as a sign that the population is in conflict and permanent mobilization, and that the Potosi parliamentary brigade in the national Legislative Assembly assumes the defense of the leaders who are politically persecuted.
Complaint to the UN
The events in Potosí were brought to the attention of the UN Committee Against Torture, through a letter sent by the president of the Apdhb, Amparo Carvajal, and the president of the Pro Santa Cruz Committee Rómulo Calvo, in which acts are denounced. “That violated fundamental rights.”
“The history of the heroic people of Potosí has been stained by abuse, mistreatment and the clear and systematic violation of Fundamental Rights. Potosí has nothing to celebrate regarding the International Day of Human Rights ”, indicates the letter to the UN.
The letter indicates that a raid was carried out on the civic institution and private homes at night, despite the fact that the Constitution, substantive criminal law and international human rights treaties prohibit it. Likewise, the letter emphasizes the police presence in the city of Potosí to carry out the apprehension of the civic.
From the Legislature, the president of the Deputies, Freddy Mamani (MAS), rejected that the arrest warrants against the civic are part of a political persecution, and said that it is “compliance with justice.” He asked to identify other actors for the burning of TED Potosí.
