for the times
In the Alto de Cochabamba valley, the subjugation of productive lands, the transfer of enforceable titles at the point of threats and physical aggression they are the daily bread for many legally established owners.
At least 1,000 hectares of land in that region are being targeted by lotters who are part of a consortium also made up of judges, prosecutors and even police officers.according to the testimony of one of the victims, Eduardo Chileno, collected during a visit to the place by Los Tiempos.
The high valley is made up of 15 municipalities: Anzaldo, Arani, Arbieto, Capinota, Cliza, Punata, Sacabamba, San Benito, Santiváñez, Tacachi, Tarata, Toco, Tolata, Sacabamba, Villa Gualberto Villarroel and Villa Rivero. One of the municipalities with the highest number of conflicts between owners and lotters is Arbieto.
The victims say that They don’t know where else to go because no authority or institution has intervened so far so that their proprietary rights are respected.
“Two women have hit me on my own land. I filed a complaint with the Tarata Prosecutor’s Office, but it’s not moving forward. It will be two years and they have just been charged, but they say they will not be arrested”, lamented Julia (not her real name).
She, along with other community members from La Angostura who are also being dispossessed of their lands, traveled to La Paz to meet with the Minister of Rural Development and Lands, Remmy Gonzales, but the situation was not reversed.
“A prosecutor rather issued a resolution saying that I cannot inherit. The police don’t come when we report either. I will defend myself as long as I canalthough everything is money and time”, he remarked.
The annulment of titles is promoted with the argument that the lands are not “fulfilling their social function”according to jurists in the area.
The Canelas family is one of those affected by this modus operandi, since months ago part of their Angostura estate was taken over and days ago their Maicapampa estate was attacked.
the family lawyer, Eduardo Arze asserted that his clients are constantly threatened and that every day the buildings on private and agricultural property grow. as “mushrooms”. There are already at least 50 one-bedroom houses in the sector, he said.
On a tour of the site, it was found that lotteadores identify themselves as members of the Trade Union Confederation of Intercultural Communities. Under that flag, they open roads, install bars, erect walls as if they were going to set up a camp, and destroy native vegetation.
Arze reported that the property has precautionary measures issued by INRA, but no authority does anythingdespite the fact that the owners insist that the prohibitions be complied with, and a report from the Mayor of Arbieto recommends the demolition of the illegal constructions.
Last Thursday, the lotters even beat up and took one of the farm workers hostage.
MAS senator Lucy Escobar pointed out that the victims who denounce enslavement end up abandoning the case for different circumstances.
The mayor of Arbieto, Crispín Chiri, pointed out that subjugation is a “serious problem” and that it is difficult to control, because several of the properties in conflict are in rural areas, so cases are the responsibility of the departmental office of the National Institute for Agrarian Reform (INRA). “But we have coordinated with our authorities and social organizations so that the regulations are respected,” he said.
Los Tiempos unsuccessfully tried to contact the director of INRA, Armando Mita, to find out his position on these events.
for the times
In the Alto de Cochabamba valley, the subjugation of productive lands, the transfer of enforceable titles at the point of threats and physical aggression they are the daily bread for many legally established owners.
At least 1,000 hectares of land in that region are being targeted by lotters who are part of a consortium also made up of judges, prosecutors and even police officers.according to the testimony of one of the victims, Eduardo Chileno, collected during a visit to the place by Los Tiempos.
The high valley is made up of 15 municipalities: Anzaldo, Arani, Arbieto, Capinota, Cliza, Punata, Sacabamba, San Benito, Santiváñez, Tacachi, Tarata, Toco, Tolata, Sacabamba, Villa Gualberto Villarroel and Villa Rivero. One of the municipalities with the highest number of conflicts between owners and lotters is Arbieto.
The victims say that They don’t know where else to go because no authority or institution has intervened so far so that their proprietary rights are respected.
“Two women have hit me on my own land. I filed a complaint with the Tarata Prosecutor’s Office, but it’s not moving forward. It will be two years and they have just been charged, but they say they will not be arrested”, lamented Julia (not her real name).
She, along with other community members from La Angostura who are also being dispossessed of their lands, traveled to La Paz to meet with the Minister of Rural Development and Lands, Remmy Gonzales, but the situation was not reversed.
“A prosecutor rather issued a resolution saying that I cannot inherit. The police don’t come when we report either. I will defend myself as long as I canalthough everything is money and time”, he remarked.
The annulment of titles is promoted with the argument that the lands are not “fulfilling their social function”according to jurists in the area.
The Canelas family is one of those affected by this modus operandi, since months ago part of their Angostura estate was taken over and days ago their Maicapampa estate was attacked.
the family lawyer, Eduardo Arze asserted that his clients are constantly threatened and that every day the buildings on private and agricultural property grow. as “mushrooms”. There are already at least 50 one-bedroom houses in the sector, he said.
On a tour of the site, it was found that lotteadores identify themselves as members of the Trade Union Confederation of Intercultural Communities. Under that banner, they open roads, install bars, erect walls as if they were going to set up a camp, and destroy native vegetation.
Arze reported that the property has precautionary measures issued by INRA, but no authority does anythingdespite the fact that the owners insist that the prohibitions be complied with, and a report from the Mayor of Arbieto recommends the demolition of the illegal constructions.
Last Thursday, the lotters even beat up and took one of the farm workers hostage.
MAS senator Lucy Escobar pointed out that the victims who denounce enslavement end up abandoning the case for different circumstances.
The mayor of Arbieto, Crispín Chiri, pointed out that subjugation is a “serious problem” and that it is difficult to control, because several of the properties in conflict are in rural areas, so cases are the responsibility of the departmental office of the National Institute for Agrarian Reform (INRA). “But we have coordinated with our authorities and social organizations so that the regulations are respected,” he said.
Los Tiempos unsuccessfully tried to contact the director of INRA, Armando Mita, to find out his position on these events.
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