The Bolivian Government has announced that it will take criminal action against those responsible for the protests in Santa Cruz, origin of the «civic» strike called by the opposition against the Government of Luis Arce, after announcing that the death toll is four dead and 178 injured in 20 days.
The Minister of the Presidency, María Nela Prada, has criticized the days of «terror» that characterize the Santa Cruz strike, affirming that the leaders of the protests have «blood on their hands».
«These people are the ones responsible and who have their hands stained with the blood of the people,» denounced Nela, pointing to the organizers of the strike — the governor of the capital, Fernando Camacho, and the president of the Pro Santa Cruz Civic Committee Rómulo Calvo — in a press conference reported by the ABI agency.
The Minister also pointed out that the balance sheet also includes economic damages which for the moment amount to 720 million US dollars (a similar figure in euros). However, she expects this figure to increase as the days go by, until the indefinite strike is called off.
«These situations cannot be normalized, they cannot be made invisible, we cannot only show the pretty face of the strike – of barbecue, of swimming pools, of songs and fraternizations – and not show what we are seeing in nights and days of terror against those who want to travel to buy their food, to their jobs, those who get on buses to be able to work; carriers, union families and many families from Santa Cruz», he said.
In this sense, the leader of the ministerial portfolio has indicated that the strike «is far from being a peaceful protest»: «It has generated death, pain, violence, racism, discrimination, human rights violations, poverty and hunger».
«These events can never be repeated, so we will work tirelessly to set a precedent, we have filed complaints as a government at the national and international level», she announced.
The so-called «civic movement» of Bolivia began last Saturday an indefinite national strike to demand the holding of the Census in 2023, instead of 2024 as proposed by the Bolivian Government, since this registration conditions the distribution of aid among the regions of the country.
The protests are concentrated in the city of Santa Cruz, where the opposition to Luis Arce has more weight and is the economic engine of the country, where one person has lost his life during the mobilizations.
