The State Must Prosecute Morales and García Linera | El Estado deberá enjuiciar a Morales y García Linera

Brujula Digital, El Diario:

The National Committee for the Defense of Democracy (Conade) asserted that following the decision by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) regarding case 13,546, related to the events at the Hotel Las Américas in 2009, the Bolivian state will have to prosecute former President Evo Morales, who ordered the operation through former Vice President Álvaro García Linera.

“This will force the Bolivian state to take action regarding the criminal prosecution in Bolivia of Mr. Evo Morales, Álvaro García Linera, all their ministers, and the High Command of the Police. This is very good news for human rights,” said Manuel Morales, Conade executive, to Brújula Digital yesterday.

The IACHR’s decision to reject the extension requested by the Bolivian government for complying with the recommendations in case 13,546, regarding extrajudicial executions and illegal detentions during the April 16, 2009, operation at the hotel in Santa Cruz, has been revealed. This decision has transferred the case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR Court).

In 2009, before traveling to Venezuela, Evo Morales instructed then Vice President García Linera and the National Police Commander to execute the operation. “This morning I was informed that there was a shootout, a half-hour gunfight in a hotel in Santa Cruz where three foreigners were killed, and two were detained (…). Of course, they used bombs and bullets; these men resisted (…). I commend the National Police for this great operation, for detaining them, for ending these international mercenaries,” Evo Morales told Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez at the time.

The Conade representative expressed satisfaction with the decision and mentioned that the Bolivian state would be “in the dock (for) the serious human rights violations committed at the Hotel Las Américas.”

Another person who highlighted the decision was Santa Cruz departmental legislator Zvonko Matkovic Ribera, who was imprisoned for eight years without a sentence in the Terrorism case, which led to the hotel assault.

“Bolivia will go on trial for the executions and tortures at the Hotel Las Américas and the corrupt Terrorism Case. We are getting closer to achieving justice. There is no eternal impunity! Criminals! Murderers! Corrupt!” he wrote on his social network X account.

The IACHR’s decision was communicated through a letter sent by the entity’s deputy secretary, Jorge Meza Flores, to Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa.

“In this regard, I inform Your Excellency’s Government that the requested extension has not been granted. Consequently, I hereby inform you that today the IACHR presented Case No. 13,546 – Mario Francisco Tadic Astorga and others before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, in accordance with Articles 51.1 of the American Convention and 45 of the Inter-American Commission’s Rules of Procedure. Additionally, a copy was sent to the Permanent Mission of the Plurinational State of Bolivia,” the letter reads.

The IACHR report indicates that there were extrajudicial executions and tortures at the Hotel Las Américas ordered by Morales’ government. In that operation, Eduardo Rózsa Flores, Arpad Magyaroisi, and Michel Dwyer were killed. Meanwhile, Elod Tóasó and Mario Tadic were detained. (Brújula Digital)

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