Mayo 29, 2005
Four Named in Lawsuit
It appears that the government of Carlos Mesa has taken the route of working within the existing democratic institutions to put a halt to the marches and protests that have paralyzed the city of La Paz. Instead of using force to stop the violent marches, a series of lawsuits has been placed on COB leader Jaime Solares and El Alto councilman Roberto de la Cruz. Also named in these lawsuits were the 2 Lt. Colonels who called for the resignation of Mesa and an installation of a military-civic government.
According to the Bolivian Information Agency, the four who have been named are being “sued” based on articles located in the Bolivian Penal Code. Click here to see the 61-page document.
Digging deep into the Penal Code, the specific articles named in the “querella” were: Conspiracy (Article 126), Sedition (Article 123), Troop Agitation (Article 127), Atempts against the President and other State actors (Article 128), Public Instigation for Deliquency (Article 130), Derelictive Association (Article 132), Terrorism (Article 133), Public Disorder and Disturbance (Article 134), Impediement of Function (Article 161), Attempt against Worker Secruity (Article 213), Attempts against the Security of Public Services (Article 214), Crimes Against Public Health (Article 216), Attempt against the Right to Work (Article 303). (Note: some translations were very basic).
This is now in the hands of the Public Ministry who will decide what steps to take, and which charges should be filed. It is also expected that there will be an attempt to take all 4 in custody. Already the 2 ex-military officers (they were thrown out of the military) escaped arrest in La Paz.
Where Solares and De La Cruz ran into trouble was when they vowed to close down Parliament and participated in steps to make that a reality. Everyone has the right to call for the resignation of the President if and when he or she thinks he is not doing his job. De La Cruz was arrested earlier this week as shown in this AP picture. No word whether he is still in custody.
The marches are also becoming synonymous with dynamite, which has caused some self-inflicted injuries, injuries to policemen (particularly in hearing loss), and the inducement of general terror to the innocent bystanders.
Category: Bolivia
Posted by eduardo at Mayo 29, 2005 06:21 PM