2019 Senkata and Sacaba Massacres

The Senkata and Sacaba Massacres occurred after the arrival of Jeanine Áñez to the presidency of Bolivia in November 2019, caused by the political crisis of 2019. In these events, pro-socialist protesters were repressed by military and police forces who had previously got immunity for their crimes by the Bolivian government.[1]

Events

On November 15, a strong contingent of cocalero groups said to be related to Movement for Socialism (MAS) party tried to enter the city of Cochabamba. Security forces of that country said to be seized a large amount of money, firearms and explosives from these protesters.,[2][3] although no third party investigation confirms that. After the police started repression, 6 dead and 115 wounded were reported. On the 16th of that same month, the Minister of Government, Arturo Murillo, said that most of the deaths came from the protesters themselves while they were fighting with the police.[4] That argument is in dispute by evidence found on that place.

On November 19, the government decides to break the blockades in the town of Senkata. According to some of the country's press most aligned with the government, numerous radical supporters of the Movement for Socialism tried to enter the natural gas processing plant in that town with the intention of blowing it up.[5][6] That claim was debunked by the fact that those protesters are from that town, as their families. The place where the massacre took place, was far away from any possible attack that could cause the supposed explosion of the plant.

By the 20th of that same month, the victims, identified as Deybi Posto Cusi, Edwin Jamachi Paniagua and a third deceased who had not yet been identified, lost their lives by the armed forces, therefore as a way to cover up the massacre, the Government claimed these events as terrorist acts.[7]

On November 20 of 2019, the security forces of the country, by order of the Public Ministry, began unrestricted and random arrests of seven people for supposed acts of terrorism in the country.[8] Investigations into the events are currently ongoing.

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights declarations

On December 11, 2019, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights classified the deaths of civilians that occurred in the cities of El Alto and Sacaba as massacres,[9] backed by the promulgation of Decree 4078 that exempted the Bolivian armed forces from criminal responsibility, a decree that was promoted and promulgated by the Government of Jeanine Áñez. That decree was named a "license to kill". The police claims protesters used explosive devices, dynamite and firearms.[10][11] Some of the media have classified the IACHR's declarations as biased.[12] Among the main critics of the IACHR are several ex Ombudsmen, who also expressed that this statements were "biased".[13] On the other hand, the judge of the IACHR, Eugenio Raúl Zaffaroni was, at the same time, a lawyer of former President Evo Morales.[14] After the discovery of this, Zaffaroni was removed from the case.[15]

See also

Attacks on the Potosí-Oruro highway 2019

References
  1. https://elpais.com/internacional/2019/11/17/america/1574014107_965320.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. "Policía gasifica y decomisa armas a cocaleros que intentaban ingresar a la ciudad de Cochabamba" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  3. "Secuestran dinero, armas y hay 472 detenidos en operativos conjuntos" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  4. "Murillo asegura que los disparos en Sacaba salieron de la manifestación cocalera" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  5. "Bolivia presa del terrorismo" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  6. "Afines a Evo intentan incendiar la planta de Senkata en El Alto" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  7. "El Gobierno ve actos de terrorismo en Senkata, donde murieron por lo menos 3 personas" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  8. "Senkata: Siete acusados por terrorismo pasan a la cárcel" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  9. "Informe Final. Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  10. "Policía gasifica y decomisa armas a cocaleros que intentaban ingresar a la ciudad de Cochabamba" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  11. "Secuestran dinero, armas y hay 472 detenidos en operativos conjuntos" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  12. "Actitudes parcializadas de la CIDH" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  13. "Exdefensores califican de parcializada y fuera de funciones intervención de Defensora en la CIDH" (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  14. "Las razones de la CIDH" (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  15. "Corte IDH aparta a abogado de Evo de casos que involucran a Bolivia" (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2020.
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