The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) on Wednesday found the State of Bolivia guilty of actions that violated the human rights of 26 people during raids and detentions carried out by the government of former President Jorge Quiroga in 2001.
As a result of the ruling, Bolivia must pay compensation to the 26 people prosecuted in the ‘Blas Valencia’ case. The case is named after the now ex-police chief Blas Valencia, who in 2001, together with his criminal gang, perpetrated an armed robbery of a Prosegur company van, resulting in the death of three people, two policemen and a civilian, according to ABI agency.
«The State is responsible for the violation of the rights to personal liberty, to privacy, to the home, to protection of the family, to the right to property, to personal integrity,» reads the IACHR ruling, referring to the defendants in the ‘Blas Valencia’ operation, which attempted to capture the suspects in the robbery of a van carrying money in December of that year.
According to the Inter-American body, the nighttime raids «disproportionately» affected the rights of the children and adolescents present, as well as the right to family life. The women were also victims of sexual torture during their detention, according to the statement.
In this regard, the IACHR considered that the State of Bolivia violated the right to life of one of the victims who died as a result of a lack of adequate medical care. In addition, one of the victims suffered an abortion as a result of the sexual violence she suffered and did not receive adequate medical attention, which was also considered a violation of the right to health.
The victims were also shown to the press as the perpetrators of the truck robbery when they had not even been formally charged, and therefore the principle of innocence was considered to have been violated.
Due to the violations allegedly carried out by the Bolivian State, the IACHR has ordered various measures of reparation, including the review of the conviction of the victims, the establishment of protocols for the conduct of searches and other acts of judicial investigation where children and adolescents are present, as well as the payment of compensation to the victims.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)