By Gonzalo Colque, Brujula Digital: In Bolivia, the ties between corruption and the economy are so numerous that they often go unnoticed due to their normalization: bribes, kickbacks, clientelism, embezzlement, rigged bidding processes, among others. Every day, millions of dollars move in cash and in the form of favors convertible into money. It is not…
Tag: police and judicial corruption
Illegal mining takes hold after land seizures in the Monte Verde Indigenous Territory | Minería ilegal se afianza tras avasallamientos en el Territorio Indígena Monte Verde
By CEJIS-ODPIB, La Region: Indigenous leaders from the Paiconeka Central of San Javier denounced that the land seizures reported in March have facilitated the entry of heavy machinery for the illegal extraction of gold, without prior consultation and causing visible damage to the forest. Illegal gold mining is advancing in the Monte Verde Indigenous Territory,…
A message of national reconciliation | Un mensaje de reconciliación nacional
By Ronald MacLean, Brújula Digital: Ronald MacLean presents short film with a message of national reconciliation In the video [to watch it go to the end of this column], the former mayor emphasizes that the country needs a candidacy of “unity, of bridge-building, of reconciliation and stability.” Former mayor of La Paz and former minister…
When Gold Is Worth More Than Life: The Criminal Spiral of Illegal Mining in Bolivia | Cuando el oro vale más que la vida: la espiral criminal de la minería ilegal en Bolivia
By ANA Bolivia: “No effective control halts the flow of the mineral that enriches mafia networks while displacing communities, corrupting authorities, and replacing state power with de facto structures,” says Jaime Cuellar. La Paz, May 11 (ANA).- Bolivia is on the verge of a silent territorial takeover, fueled not only by illegal gold but by…
Doubts About the Elections | Dudas sobre las elecciones
By Manfredo Kempff Suárez, El Diario: Of course, I’m not the one to save the upcoming elections. In fact, I’ve never been a real politician—the kind who doesn’t sleep because of meetings, who sits for ten hours listening to comrades say the same things with some minor variation. I used to admire Banzer’s patience while…
They see a justice system prostituted to both factions of MAS | Ven una justicia prostituida a las dos vertientes del MAS
By El Diario: Former Ombudsman says In light of questionable and irregular behavior by judicial administrators who act in favor of political interests, former Ombudsman Waldo Albarracín stated that Bolivian justice is currently prostituted to both factions of the Movement for Socialism (MAS), groups that attack each other through the judicial system. Through his social…
Bolivian Thoughts | Pensamientos Bolivianos (Bilingual/Bilingüe) 