In November 2019, Bolivian security forces carried out operations against two protests in Sacaba and Senkata that resulted in the deaths of 21 Bolivian civilians and hundreds of injured. These casualties make November 2019 the second-deadliest month, in terms of civilian deaths committed by state forces, since Bolivia became a democracy, almost 40 years ago.

Multiple international institutions, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), have described these operations as “massacres.” The IACHR expressed concern about the “excessive and disproportionate use of public force” and “serious human rights violations” carried out by the Áñez government. International human rights institutions have made a firm call to the Bolivian State to comply with its international obligations by investigating the massacres, trying and punishing those responsible, and providing reparation to the victims and their relatives. Unfortunately, to date, there has been no concrete progress in the investigations. To make matters worse, the de facto government arbitrarily detained victims and witnesses of the massacres.

In response to these attacks, the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), the Europe-Third World Center (CETIM), the Association for Human Rights of Bolivia, the Andean Information Network, and the University Network for Human Rights present this submission to the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions to present valuable evidence compiled by international human rights organizations to credibly reconstruct the facts.

To read the full report, click here: Extrajudicial killings carried out in Sacaba and Senkata exacerbated by