Clash in Chonchocoro: Bolivia’s “Maximum Security” Misnomer
Minister of Government, Sacha Llorenti, announced on March 16 that prisoners in La Paz’s maximum security prison, Chonchocoro, would remain locked down for 23 hours in an attempt to stifle recent outbursts of violence.
On Sunday March 14, one prisoner detonated a grenade, injuring three others. Prison officials transferred the wounded to hospitals for treatment. Following this incident, on Monday another prisoner opened fire with a handgun, injuring one of the same victims affected by the grenade explosion. It remains unclear how convicts obtained access to these weapons or what motivated their actions, although prison officials theorize the disputes maybe a result of power struggles among prisoners.
In an effort to prevent further violence,”[the prisoners] will go outside for one hour of recreation, and will stay in their cells the remaining 23 hours, according to the minimum regulations for detainees established by the United Nations,” Llorenti stated. (Los Tiempos 3/16/2010).
In November 2009, Bolivian newspaper La Prensa reported that many prisoners inside Chonchocoro possessed weapons. Since that time, 17 individuals have been killed within the prison under circumstances that have not been investigated or clarified. “I’m not sure that the prison merits its maximum security status,” Llorenti commented upon visiting the facility. (La Prensa 3/16/2010)
Ex-dictator continued to receive special privileges
After responding to the incident, investigators discovered that former dictator, Luis Garcia Meza, enjoyed special benefits and comforts in his private cell. Garcia Meza virtually transformed his space into an apartment, installing amenities such as a barbecue, exercise equipment, a private telephone and a sauna.
View a slide show of images of his cell here: http://www.lostiempos.com/multimedia-galeria-detalle.php?id_galeria=64&base=2010.
As a result, Llorenti fired prison director, Col. Gilmar Oblitas, and stated that Garcia Meza would now live in the same conditions as other prisoners.
Garcia Meza is serving a 30 year sentence for crimes committed during his brief rule from 1980 to 1981, recognized as the most violent dictatorship in modern Bolivian history. Since he entered Chonchocoro 1995, Garcia Meza has repeatedly left the prison for extended stays in the La Paz military hospital, receiving attention for cardiac difficulties and risk of strokes. Multiple rumors, corroborated by some hospital staff, indicate Garcia Meza continued to enjoy VIP treatment as a general and even held parties during his extended stays. One journalist investigating the ex-dictator’s lodgings highlighted the irony that, in spite of the close to eighty year-old prisoner’s allegedly delicate health, he apparently worked out with weights and a punching bag frequently.
Embarrassing lack of oversight and enduring influence
It’s interesting to note that the Penal System directors and staff are all appointed by the executive through the Ministry of Government, and have the obligation to make daily visits to all prisons. It’s surprising that after over five years of MAS government, no one reported or dismantled Garcia Meza’s comparatively large quarters. This suggests a grave lack of oversight and continuing corruption, and points to the possibility that the general still wields considerable influence within the prison system.
Representatives of the Attorney General’s office obtained authorization to search the cells of Garcia Meza and his former Minister of the Interior Luis Arce Gomez, as part of the ongoing investigation of disappearances during their rule. Despite conviction and imprisonment of these two infamous figures, it is clear that there is still a long way to go to address impunity, provide justice to the victims’ families and closure for the Bolivian people.