June 4, 2008
The Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, Mr. James Anaya, expresses his concern about recent acts of violence in Sucre and el Chaco, Bolivia, which resulted in injuries to dozens of people.
The Rapporteur joins in the recent statements of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Bolivian Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights condemning the acts of violence that took place on May 24 in Sucre.
I note with concern and emphatically condemn the racist and discriminatory acts of violence, threats, and humiliations suffered by at least twenty indigenous people at the hands of groups intending to prevent the arrival of President Evo Morales to Sucre on May 24. I likewise condemn the violence committed by these groups in the presence of police and military officials who were deployed to the area to maintain public security.
I also express my profound concern about the violent acts of April 13 in el Chaco, Bolivia which resulted in the injuries of some 40 people, including indigenous Guarani, members of the Asamblea del Pueblo Guarani, public officials and journalists who were in the community of Itacuatia to carry out the title clearance process of the ancestral territories of the Guarani people.
In light of these acts, I appeal to the competent judicial authorities to immediately, and in an independent and impartial manner, investigate and sanction those responsible for committing these acts, and repair the harm to the victims. I also urge the country’s political and social actors to engage in a process of dialogue and understanding based on the principles of tolerance and respect for human rights, which should take into consideration recommendations made by international institutions responsible for monitoring compliance with human rights obligations.
On March 26, 2008, the Human Rights Council named Professor S. James Anaya as the new Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people for an initial period of three years. Mr. Anaya is the James J. Lenoir Professor of Human Rights Law and Policy at the University of Arizona College of Law in the United States. For additional information on the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, see the website: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/indigenous/rapporteur/