Judi Lynn
Judi Lynn's JournalNew Bolivian interior minister vows to jail Evo Morales for rest of his life
Rightwing government claims former president is guilty of terrorism and sedition
Tom Phillips in La Paz
Sun 24 Nov 2019 07.56 EST
The interior minister of Bolivia’s rightwing interim government has vowed to jail the former president Evo Morales for the rest of his life, accusing the exiled leftist of inciting anti-government protests that he claimed amounted to terrorism.
In an interview with the Guardian, Arturo Murillo claimed Morales had been orchestrating efforts to “strangle” Bolivian cities by ordering followers to erect roadblocks that would starve its residents of fuel and food.
Murillo claimed that an audio recording – which supposedly shows Morales giving such instructions – was definitive proof of the alleged crime and said he was “200%” certain it was genuine.
. . .
With Morales thousands of miles away, Bolivia’s new governors have launched a propaganda campaign aimed at annihilating the leftist’s reputation and legacy. Adverts on Bolivian television depict the country’s first indigenous leader as a chaos-sowing provocateur who has brought turmoil to its streets.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/24/bolivia-evo-morales-vow-jail-rest-life-arturo-murillo
Also posted in LBN:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142399995
Colombia's Deadly Golden Triangle Is Awash in Blood and Drugs
A monster strain of hybrid marijuana and cocaine’s white gold have made this Latin America’s heart of darkness. Ideological war may end, but narco war goes on.
Jeremy Kryt
Published Nov. 24, 2019 5:01AM ET
TORIBÍO, Colombia—When they kill one of your friends, something within you dies, too.
Jesús Mestizo, known to those close to him as Chucho, was murdered earlier this month by cartel gunmen in the so-called “Golden Triangle” of southwest Colombia, one more victim in a series of massacres and targeted assassinations that have claimed scores of lives in the Triangle this year.
Only this time the victim was my friend.
I first met him in late 2015. As the leader of a human rights group, Chucho was able to arrange for me to meet with farmers growing illicit coca and marijuana plants. Because such sites often are hidden away in remote corners of the sierra, Chucho came along to act as liaison. Some of the farmers were understandably unnerved seeing a hapless gringo stumbling around in their black-market gardens. But Chucho, in his early forties, was a wise guide. He always defused the tension with a swift joke, often at my expense.
Once, for example, when a jittery farmer asked how he could be sure I wasn’t a DEA agent from the States, Chucho said: “Because no agent would be stupid enough to come out here alone.”
More:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-colombias-deadly-golden-triangle-where-guerrilla-dissidents-now-rule
Repressive violence is sweeping Bolivia. The Anez regime must be held to account
Repressive violence is sweeping Bolivia. The Áñez regime must be held to account
We call upon the international community to stop supporting this government, which is committing alarming human rights abuses
Angela Davis, Noam Chomsky , Molly Crabapple, John Pilger and others
Sun 24 Nov 2019 03.04 EST
Evo Morales – President of Bolivia from the MAS party (Movimiento al Socialismo, Movement Towards Socialism) – was forced to resign on November 10, in what many observers view as a coup. In the wake of Morales’ resignation, there has been mounting chaos and violence. What is happening in Bolivia is highly undemocratic and we are witnessing some of the worst human rights violations at the hands of the military and the police since the transition to civilian government in the early 1980s. We condemn the violence in the strongest terms, and call on the US and other foreign governments to immediately cease to recognize and provide any support to this regime. We urge the media to do more to document the mounting human rights abuses being committed by the Bolivian state.
. . .
The circumstances surrounding the rapid-fire resignations makes Áñez’s assumption of power highly questionable. There are serious doubts about the constitutional legitimacy of her succession. Without the forced resignations by MAS officials, Áñez would not have had even a minimally plausible constitutional path to the presidency, as she was serving as Vice-President of the Senate, a position that is not in the line of presidential succession within the constitution. Additionally, Áñez, whose party received only 4% of the vote in the most recent October 20 election, declared herself President in a Senate session lacking quorum, with MAS senators who make up the legislature’s majority boycotting partly due to fears for their physical safety.
Áñez represents the radical-right sector of the Bolivian opposition, which has taken advantage of the power vacuum created by Morales’ ouster to consolidate control over the state. Áñez appears to have full support of Bolivia’s military and police. Over the course of the last week the military and police have engaged in significant and increasing repression against protests, which have been largely, though not entirely, peaceful. By the night of November 13, La Paz and Cochabamba city center streets were empty of anyone but the police, military, and self-appointed neighborhood militias. There has been ongoing looting, burning of buildings, and violence on the streets and protesters have been met with much repression. In a highly disturbing move, Áñez issued an executive order on November 15 exempting the military from criminal responsibilities related to the use of force. Áñez has said Morales will face prosecution if he returns to Bolivia. And she has also floated the idea of banning the MAS party – which is undoubtedly still Bolivia’s largest and most popular political force – from participation in future elections.
Equally disturbing has been a resurgence of public anti-Indigenous racism over the course of the last week. Shortly after Áñez was declared President, she thrust a massive Bible into the air and proclaimed “The Bible has returned to the palace!” Three days earlier on the day of Morales’ ouster, Luis Fernando Camacho, a far-right Santa Cruz businessman and ally of Áñez, went to the presidential palace and knelt before a Bible placed on top of the Bolivian flag. A pastor accompanying him announced to the press, “The Pachamama will never return to the palace.” Opposition activists burned the wiphala flag (an important symbol of Indigenous identity) on various occasions. These are extremist views that threaten to reverse decades of gains in ethnic and cultural inclusion in Bolivia.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/24/bolivia-anez-regime-violence
US lawmakers call for US opposition to Bolivia ouster
'Unconstitutional removal of an elected president is unacceptable,' say House reps co-signing letter to Secretary of State
Zehra Nur Duz |
24.11.2019
ANKARA
Fourteen U.S. House members sent a letter to the secretary of state calling on the administration of President Donald Trump to oppose a recent ouster of the former Bolivian president, who was recently forcibly removed from office.
"Rather than supporting a military coup, our government should make it clear that the unconstitutional removal of an elected president is unacceptable, as is the persecution of individuals based on their race or political affiliations," Congressman Hank Johnson said in the letter co-signed by 13 others to Mike Pompeo
"This Administration is once again showing that it has nothing but disdain for democracy and human rights, when they get in the way of President Trump's agenda," it added, urging support for "democracy and human rights in Bolivia".
It encouraged the Trump Administration to reverse course and push for restoration of constitutional rule in the Latin American country, including the holding of new free and fair elections.
More:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-lawmakers-call-for-us-opposition-to-bolivia-ouster/1653856
Also posted in Editorials and other articles:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016243011
Leading senator wants investigation into state involvement in 'orchestrated terror' plot against cit
Senator Roy Barreras (Image: Senate)
Leading senator wants investigation into state involvement in ‘orchestrated terror’ plot against citizens
by Adriaan Alsema
November 23, 2019
The president of Colombia’s congressional Peace Commission asked the Inspector General on Saturday to investigate apparent state involvement in an “orchestrated terror” plot against ordinary citizens.
In a Tweet, Senator Roy Barreras (U Party) asked the watchdog to “investigate accusations about vandalism induced to generate panic and discredit peaceful protest.”
. . .
Counterinsurgency tactics used against citizens?
The terror and panic caused by the violence in Cali and Bogota followed a national strike and massive protests against the unpopular President Ivan Duque that began on Thursday.
In a television address, the president used the violence on Friday to discredit the peaceful protests, order a curfew in Bogota and promote increased involvement of the military and intelligence agencies in police activity to “guarantee security.”
More:
https://colombiareports.com/leading-senator-wants-investigation-into-orchestrated-terror-plot-against-citizens/
A return to feudalism? The aftermath of Bolivia's coup
This was shared by a conscientious, valuable person and former DU'er at another progressive site:A return to feudalism? The aftermath of Bolivia’s coup
This coup is a disaster, and besides Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, no major North American politician has pushed back against it.
By Derek Royden -November 22, 2019
“We are the indigenous blood of Mother Earth. Until now Bolivia has been ruled by a few families that have all the political and economic power. They despise, humiliate, marginalize and hate the majority of the indigenous population.”Evo Morales
On November 12th, Jeanine Anez, Bolivia’s newly self proclaimed president, made her way to the government palace surrounded by supporters, an enormous leather bound book in her arms. The scene itself was unusual for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that the new president, a far right Christian fundamentalist, was fifth in succession for the presidency.
Anez was elevated because all of those ahead of her were allies of former president Evo Morales and all had resigned, though several changed their minds and claimed that they had been threatened by police, the military or opposition supporters before doing so.
The new president, 52, blonde and dressed in what appeared to be designer clothes, formerly a senator representing the department of Beni in the country’s north-east, held the ridiculously over-sized book aloft, crying, “The bible is returning to the palace!”
Unlike other recent dubious changes in government in nearby Brazil and Argentina, where the judiciary was used to bring rightwing governments to power (and imprison former Brazilian president Lula da Silva to keep him from running again), what happened in Bolivia was closer to what we think of when it comes to the coups of the past in the region. Evo Morales left office at the ‘suggestion’ of the head of the country’s military, a sad reminder of Latin America’s tragic history.
More:
https://www.nationofchange.org/2019/11/22/a-return-to-feudalism-the-aftermath-of-bolivias-coup/
In pictures: Havana celebrates 500 years of foundation
In pictures: Havana celebrates 500 years of foundation
16 November 2019
Cuba's capital, Havana, is one of Latin America's architectural treasures, boasting a fascinating mix of colonial, Baroque and Art Deco styles. Many of its jewels have suffered from decades of deterioration but, slowly, complex renovation works are bringing some of them back to life. As the city celebrates 500 years of its foundation on 16 November, here is a look at some of its most famous buildings and sights.
Havana Cathedral
UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP/GETTY
The Havana Cathedral, or Catedral de San Cristóbal, was built between 1748 and 1777 and consecrated in 1782. The Baroque building (seen in the picture above in the 1880s) has two asymmetrical bell towers and its main façade is rich in details.
A number of artworks including sculptures and paintings are exhibited inside, where the central nave floor forms a Latin cross.
ROBERTO MACHADO NOA/GETTY
For 100 years the cathedral held the remains of explorer Christopher Columbus before they were transferred back to Spain after the Spanish-American War in 1898, which led to Cuba's independence.
The building (seen in the first picture above during a celebration in 1946) is located at Plaza de la Catedral, one of the five main squares of Old Havana, a Unesco World Heritage site.
More:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-50322553
Amnesty International: Chile using violence as a deterrent
6 hours ago
EPA
Protesters are demanding widespread social reforms
Security forces in Chile have deliberately injured people taking part in the current mass demonstrations, Amnesty International says.
The rights group said the aim is to discourage further protests.
Excessive police force had led to the deaths of five people while thousands had been seriously injured, tortured or sexually abused, the report said.
They are not isolated acts, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, told reporters.
"The intention of the Chilean security forces is clear: to injure demonstrators in order to discourage protest," she said in a statement.
More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50512093
What Colombia's massive anti-government carnival looks and sounds like
by Adriaan Alsema November 21, 2019
Colombia’s anti-government protests are drawing tens of not hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country in what seems to be a colorful and loud national celebration.
Bogota
Bogota‘s marches were led mainly by students, who have been protesting for weeks.
https://twitter.com/DonHanso/status/1197567902473478145
Medellin
In Medellin, the fan clubs of rival teams Atletico Nacional and Independiente Medellin partied together.
https://twitter.com/NCAntioquia/status/1197579448033382400
More:
https://colombiareports.com/what-colombias-massive-anti-government-party-looks-and-sounds-like/
Colombia's anti-government protests overwhelming, peaceful and joyful
(Image: Twitter)
Colombia’s anti-government protests overwhelming, peaceful and joyful
by Adriaan Alsema November 21, 2019
Anti-government protests drew overwhelming crowds throughout Colombia on Thursday, shutting down public transport systems in the capital Bogota and Cali.
The protests are the nightmare come true for President Ivan Duque, who has been fiercely trying to dissuade the protests against his government with adverse affect.
Countless of people, led by labor unions, students and indigenous organizations, have taken to the street.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General’s Office announced investigations into illegal police raids against supposed promoters of the strike what press freedom organization FLIP called “the “intimidation of media and the limiting of the freedom of expression.
More:
https://colombiareports.com/colombias-anti-government-protests-overwhelming-peaceful-and-joyful/
Profile Information
Member since: 2002Number of posts: 160,501
