Bolivia's Dictatorship Increasingly Exposed by Brave Women Unafraid to Speak the Truth

Guadalupe Cárdenas and Milena Soto sent a letter to the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), denouncing the abuses committed against them and against members of their organizations and institutions by Luis Arce's dictatorship

During the visit made by Eva Sara Landau, president of Global Human Rights League, to the OAS to meet with Secretary General Luis Almagro on June 23, discussions covered not only the situation of Bolivia's political prisoners and the violation of their human rights, but also the deaths caused by the dictatorships of Evo Morales and Luis Arce.

At greater length, Landau told Secretary Almagro about the death of Marco Antonio Aramayo, who died on April 14, just one day after Eva Sara Landau, at a forum held by the Interamerican Institute for Democracy, had denounced the torture Aramayo was suffering. She also raised the case of Elvira Parra, currently imprisoned for 7 years in the same case, who suffers from cancer and could die in the same way, without a fair and transparent process, manipulated by the dictatorship.

The visit to the Organization of American States was also an opportunity to deliver two letters sent from Bolivia to the Secretary General.

Guadalupe Cárdenas and Milena Soto, both representatives of Global Human Rights League, took the opportunity to have the Secretary receive the letters firsthand.

LETTER FROM GUADALUPE CÁRDENAS

I, Mrs. Guadalupe Cárdenas, widow of Gálvez, am the World Human Rights Ambassador in Bolivia and representative of the National Federation of Police Wives, and the first political prisoner of Morales; today I face 19 lawsuits, the last two initiated by the current government of Luis Arce.

I bring to your attention the grave injustices—translated into political persecution, human rights violations, and imprisonment—suffered by police officers of various ranks who have been deprived of their liberty; many were unjustly discharged through fabricated proceedings by the government in power, for the sole act of fulfilling their constitutional mandate and standing with their people, rather than with a dictatorial political party that sought to perpetuate itself in power. I have permanently supported all police officers of various ranks who are unjustly prosecuted.

The most notable case is that of Bolivian police lieutenant Franklin Mamani Guarachi, an athlete and former world boxing title contender, who is currently deprived of liberty, without the right to work, to freedom of movement, or to practice sports, under a burdensome house arrest, unjustly accused of the alleged crime of concealment. More than 15 administrative proceedings and 10 ordinary proceedings have been fabricated against him, simply for exercising his constitutional right to uphold and enforce the law.

His constitutional and human rights are being violated. He is a political prisoner, persecuted and a victim of the dictatorship in Bolivia… for thinking differently. This has greatly harmed his professional and sporting career.

Bolivia is living through the worst dictatorship, marked by unjust imprisonments and prosecutions.

LETTER FROM MILENA SOTO

Distinguished Secretary: my letter is a desperate cry for help.

As the OAS is already aware, the situation my country is going through is critical. The Judiciary has been placed under the control of the Luis Arce regime, and judges have become executioners carrying out the repression ordered by the regime, of which we are today the victims. I am a political prisoner.

Before my arrest, I was the victim of violence by the Movement Toward Socialism, the party currently in government, which attempted against my life without succeeding. I was arrested on 08/05/21, a week after that incident, and taken to the city of Sucre, where I was charged with criminal organization, damage to state property, aggravated damage, among other baseless charges.

It should be emphasized that I was never present in Sucre, and even so, a judge ordered that I be placed under house arrest and ordered my residency restriction. In addition, I must appear in person in that city every 15 days—that is, twice a month—to sign in at the prosecutor's office. I am not allowed to work; this right was denied to me in a hearing, despite having a minor child whose economic stability depends exclusively on me. Not satisfied with that, they opened another case against me in my hometown, Cochabamba, with the same charges and others invented. On 09/05/21 they raided my home and arrested me, all in the presence of my son. Today I have two illegal house arrests.

I want to denounce before the Organization of American States that there is political interference by the government in the proceedings against members of the Cochala Youth Resistance, in which the Minister of Government sought 20-year prison sentences for Mario Bascopé, Fabio Bascopé, Yassir Molina, and myself, Milena Soto López. In our case, the plaintiffs include the Office of the Attorney General of the State, the Ministry of Government, the State Prosecutor's Office, the Autonomous Municipal Government of Sucre, the Autonomous Departmental Government of Chuquisaca, members of the Departmental Legislative Assembly of Chuquisaca, and MAS party leaders.

The Cochala Youth Resistance was a multitude of young people who opposed the fraud committed by Evo Morales in 2019, and who organized to defend the city against the attacks and orders of destruction that the former president gave to his followers. The regime seeks to imprison not only the RJC but also the Cruceñista Youth Union, brave young people who, like us, are today detained and are political prisoners.

I turn to your authority because justice no longer exists in my country. Do not allow us to be condemned in a rigged trial where a 20-year prison sentence has already been decided in advance.

Democracy in my country is dead. Today I am with my son; tomorrow, only God knows. I beg you to speak out.

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