The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and its Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (RELE) have condemned on Tuesday the violence of the protests in Bolivia following the arrest of the governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho.
The IACHR has «emphatically repudiated both the allegations of excessive use of force by security forces and the violent acts committed by organized groups,» reads a statement.
The organizations, in turn, have announced that they are «closely following» the demonstrations that began on December 28 in protest of Camacho’s detention in the framework of the 2019 ‘coup d’état’ case.
«According to publicly available information, in the context of these demonstrations, clashes have been reported between civilians and police officers, resulting in injured people and complaints of possible cases of excessive use of police force, including against journalists,» the letter continues.
The IACHR and RELE have highlighted that, according to the records of the Bolivian Ombudsman, there have been at least 25 cases of alleged human rights violations.
«On the other hand, the IACHR has become aware of the report of several violent actions committed by organized groups against public and private property, including the house of a minister,» they criticized.
The commission «views with concern the threats made by violent groups against human rights defenders and members of the media through social networks,» a situation that «generates a serious violation of freedom of expression,» they lamented.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
