MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Bolivia and the arrest of former President Jeanine Añez and other officials

B9‑0245/2021

European Parliament resolution on Bolivia and the arrest of former President Jeanine Añez and other officials

(2021/2646(RSP))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Political Constitution of the Plurinational of Bolivia

-  having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948;
 

-  having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) of 16 December 1966;
 

-  having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Geneva Convention of 1951 and its Additional Protocol;

-  having regard to the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders of 1998;
 

-  having regard to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights of 2011;
 

-  having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 2131 (xx) entitled Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention in the Domestic Affairs of States and the Protection of their Independence and Sovereignty;

 

-  having regard to Article 2 (4) of the Charter of the United Nations;

 

-  having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 (xv) entitled Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;

-  whereas the report of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) on the 2019 Bolivia Election explaining that the fraud allegations were not only far-fetched but apparently fabricated;

-  having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure;

a.  whereas after the elections of 20th of October 2019, Bolivia experimented a violent coup, which saw manysupporters of President Evo Morales, indigenous population and human rights defenders violently killed by the military and members of Morales' Movement for Socialism (MAS) party persecuted by the right-wing oppositionincluding by acts of violence such as beatings and harassment, with high-profile politicians’ homes being torched.

b. whereas Nov. 12 2019 a military coup  forced Evo Morales to exile himself in Mexico; whereas on the same day Jeanine Áñez, a senator from a minority extrem-right party, auto-proclaimed herself President (with no constitutional right to so) of Bolivia with the support of the military and without constitutionally required quorum;

c. whereas while Morales was in forced exile in Mexico, Bolivia was undergoing a violent transformation from economic and social stability to constant civil clashes with the armed forces with fatal consequences;

d. whereas in the cities of Sacaba on Nov. 15 and Senkata on Nov. 19, the armed forces fired at reportedly unarmed demonstrators who were marching in support of their deposed president; whereas at least 18 people were killed by the police and the military;

e. whereas during the political crisis since election day, a total of 36 civilians were reportedly killed and 833 were injured with Jeanine Anez as interim president enacting a decree that labeled any military action to contain the protests in the streets as self-defense, giving soldiers impunity to use excessive force;

F. whereas these human rights violations have not been adequately investigated, prosecuted or punished, allowing impunity for them to persist; whereas, under the auspices of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts for Bolivia (GIEI) began its investigations in Bolivia at the end of November 2020, rekindling the hope of justice, truth and reparation for the victims of human rights violations;

G. whereas, following weeks of violent protests, the then commander-in-chief of the Bolivian armed forces, Williams Kaliman, who also served as Bolivia’s military attaché in Washington between 2013 and 2016, urged President Morales to step down, which he duly did in order to avoid further bloodshed and reduce tensions; whereas the fraud claims instigated by the OAS fueled the discourse that justified Morales' forced exile, with high-profile US politicians praising the military's actions and acknowledging Anez as Bolivia's president; whereas Mike Pompeo, former director of the CIA and secretary of state in the Trump administration, quickly praised Anez’s self-proclaimed presidency and Morales' deposition; whereas according to the CEPR report on the matter, the fraud allegations were not only far-fetched but apparently fabricated;

H. whereas in November 2019 Bolivia's interim government filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors, seeking the maximum penalty for the former President Evo Morales of terrorism and sedition over his alleged role in fomenting unrest in the country;

I. whereas the open intervention by military and police forces in 2019 further destabilised the country; whereas the multiple acts of repression carried out by the military and police in public places were a stark reminder of the darkest periods of the decades-long civil-military dictatorships in Bolivia, and of the more than 200 military coups that have taken place since the country gained its independence in 1825 – the highest number for any one country in Latin America;

 

J. whereas during Evo Morales mandate, Bolivia experienced significant economic growth unlike the rest of the region, with its GDP consistently above Latin American averages; whereas unemployment levels decreased from 7.7% to 4.4% in 2008, following this trend by 2018; whereas during his mandate, the minimum wage in Bolivia rose by 140%; whereas the redistributive policies of the Government of Evo Morales have lifted 1.8 million people out of poverty since 2006; whereas the number of people living in extreme poverty has passed from 38.2 % to 15.2 % in the last thirteen years;

K. whereas Bolivia has the world’s second largest reserves of lithium, containing over nine million tonnes of the mineral; whereas Bolivia has significant natural gas reserves; whereas controlling such resources can be extremely profitable; whereas under the Government of Evo Morales, such resources have been brought under national control for the direct benefit of the people by strengthening public services;

L. whereas the Evo Morales administration promulgated a new constitution in 2009, after approval from the Bolivian people, which established Bolivia as a plurinational state, recognising the multicultural nature of Bolivia and the inclusion of 36 indigenous cultural nationalities, making it a global pioneer on dealing with post-colonial legacies and reconciliation between communities; whereas Evo Morales was the first indigenous president of Bolivia;

M. whereas Bolivia has been a pioneering country in protecting the environment; whereas Bolivia was amongst the first countries in the world to recognize the right to water and played a significant role in its adoption by the United Nations; whereas on 22nd April the Bolivia hold a Earth Summit gathering several countries determined to achieve an ecological breakthrough;

 

N. whereas On Oct. 18, 2020, Bolivia went through another presidential election; whereas Luis Arce, the minister of economy under Morales, was the one to present his candidacy for the Movement for Socialism; whereas with 55% of the votes, Arce became the democratically elected president of Bolivia, with Jeanine Anez and Carlos Mesa acknowledging the leftist victory; whereas the results of the elections, which was Luis Arce legitimately elected as President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia have been j

 

P. whereas on 14 March Jeanine Añez was put in preventive detention with several former officials of her government, whereas these arrests occurred for their alleged criminal responsibility during the Coup, for the offences of sedition, conspiracy and terrorism;

 

1. Expresses concern social and political consequences of the coup d’état and the illegitimate government for the people of Bolivia, including repression of social movements and indigenous communities and deeply deplores the tragedy that has befallen all victims of the unrest caused by the coup d’état in Bolivia;

 

2. Takes notes of the arrest of Jeanine Añez and several former officials of her coup government on March 14; expresses confidence that the Bolivian judicial system will solve their case in accordance to Bolivian law and recalls that coups d'état violate international law and the constitution of democratic countries, as in the case of Bolivia, constituting crimes that must be duly investigated and condemned.;

 

3. Points to the instrumental role Áñez played in the coup as interim president, including by issuing a decree removing criminal liability for police and military in dealing with protesters, and notes the seriousness of the charges pressed against Áñez and several formal officials for their culpability in the Senkata and Sacaba massacres

 

4. Condemns once again the coup d’état carried out by the police and the military in 2019 including the illegal self-proclamation of Jeanine Añez as President of the country.; the violent attacks carried out by the military and the police and groups linked to them; highlights the fact that these crimes should not only be investigated but also reparations for victims should be guaranteed ;

 

5. Share the views of the statement of the Secretary-General of UN recalling the importance of upholding due process guarantees and full transparency in all legal proceedings; and recalls the important steps taken by all Bolivian actors towards the consolidation of peace; calls on the government of Bolivia to fully cooperate with the UN bodies and to extend a standing invitation to the visit of all Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council;

 

6. Urges that all the transparency must be down on the responsibilities regarding the Coup and the human rights abuses which were committed since them; including foreign responsibilities such as OAS and United States;

 

7. strongly condemns all acts of racism and denigration, considers them severe human rights violations, and asks for their swift and full clarification with a view to the prosecution and punishment of all material and individuals responsible; underlines that freedom of the press is an essential element of stability;

 

8. Strongly condemns the imperialist strategy of United States toward America Latina and the renewal of the application of “Monroe Doctrine” toward the continent;

 

9. Condemns in the same way the instrumentalization of human rights by some forces inside the European Union for political interests and urges the EU to stand by Bolivia and to work with the newly elected authorities towards the consolidation of prosperity and stability of the country, in a spirit of respect, equality, justice , unity and inclusiveness;

 

10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the United Nations, all Bolivian institutions and President Luis Arce