The Bolivian government is equipping itself with new authoritarian means to deal with social protest. After fifteen hours of debate, this Sunday, June 7, Parliament adopted a law authorizing Rodrigo Paz to use the army to remove the roadblocks which, due to lack of satisfactory responses to the demands of the demonstrators, have paralyzed part of the country for more than five weeks… A decision which marks a turning point in all the dangers in the management by the address this ever-worsening social and political crisis.
Since the beginning of May, Bolivia has been crossed by demonstrations: faced with the crisis which is hitting them head-on, farmers, miners, truck drivers and teachers are multiplying roadblocks across the country and demanding the departure of conservative President Rodrigo Paz. After the resignation of the Ministers of Defense and of Education and the slight reshuffle promised without convincing, the Bolivian government is considering the use of the army to extinguish the movement under cover of “restore supplies to large cities“, and presents this intervention as a response to a “emergency situation ”.
The adopted law arouses the strongest criticism: one of its articles provides that the military, whose legal defense would be taken care of by the State in the event of violence, will benefit from a “ présomption de légalité » as part of a possible «Âétat d’exception HAS”. A law that would facilitate the use of force against a social movement that is already heavily repressed, especially since this state of exception that Rodrigo Paz does not rule out decree would also allow him to limit public freedoms, such as the right to assembly and freedom of movement.
Repression goes up a notch
These provisions aim to provide in advance a guarantee of impunity in the event of violent repression while several senior military officials from the right-wing government of Jeanine A̱ez (2019-2020) had been prosecuted and then imprisoned after clashes between security forces and civilians which left more than 30 dead. after the coup dՎtat which caused the departure from power of former left-wing president Evo Morales.
The adoption of the text also comes the day after new clashes which left several injured in San Julián, in the department of Santa Cruz where militias received support from the police. On X, numerous videos broadcast show the presence of groups of young civilians who are members of the Unión Juvenil Cruceñista (UJC), a far-right organization from Santa Cruz regularly accused by national and international organizations of acting as a paramilitary group alongside the police against demonstrators.
Supported by the United States of Donald Trump and several conservative governments in the region, Rodrigo Paz has chosen the path of militarization. The entry of the army against demonstrators would mark a major hardening of power and raises the risk of large-scale repression.
Yes, we suspect it: you have had enough
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