Bolivia’s President Urges Citizens to Take to Streets to Defend against Apparent Coup

THE GUARDIAN: Luis Arce says country’s democracy at stake after army troops seize control of La Paz’s political heart and military police storm palace

Bolivia’s President Luis Arce has urged citizens to take to the streets to defend the country’s democracy from an apparent coup attempt after heavily armed army troops seized control of La Paz’s political heart and military police were filmed trying to force their way into the former government palace.

“We need the Bolivian people to mobilize and organize themselves against this coup d’état and in favour of democracy,” Arce said in a video message filmed at the Great House of the People, the official presidential residence in Bolivia’s de facto capital of La Paz.

Flanked by members of his cabinet, Arce declared: “We cannot allow, once again, attempted coups to claim Bolivian lives.”

“Long live the people of Bolivia! Long live democracy!” the ministers shouted, thrusting their left fists into the air. “Long live our president, Luis Arce!”

The comments came after other members of Arce’s leftwing administration and Latin American leaders claimed an army-led putsch was under way. » | Tom Phillips, Latin America correspondent | Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Bolivian General Is Arrested After Apparent Coup Attempt: The general declared he was leading an effort to “re-establish democracy,” but he and other members of the armed forces later pulled back after trying to storm the presidential palace. »

Bolivia Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Israel Over Strikes in Gaza

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Chile and Colombia said they were recalling their ambassadors to Israel in light of the strikes.

Bolivia has severed relations with Israel over its strikes on Gaza, a diplomatic decision that Israel condemned as a “surrender to terrorism” even as its own ties with other countries in Latin America began to fray.

Bolivia announced the decision on Tuesday. Two other Latin American governments — in Chile and Colombia — said the same day that they were recalling their ambassadors to Israel in light of the strikes on Gaza, which have come in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed about 1,400 people and left more than 200 others as hostages.

In a statement, Chile accused Israel of refusing to respect international laws and said its airstrikes were a “collective punishment of the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza.”

On Wednesday, Israel responded, saying that Colombian and Chilean citizens were among the victims on Oct. 7. “Israel expects Colombia and Chile to support the right of a democratic country to protect its citizens,” Lior Haiat, a spokesman for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Bolivia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had cut diplomatic ties “in protest and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip, which threatens international peace and security.” » | Cassandra Vinograd and Emma Bubola | Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Zehn Jahre Haft für Boliviens Ex-Übergangspräsidentin Jeanine Áñez

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Für die einen war es ein Staatsstreich, für die anderen lediglich eine Interimsherrschaft nach der Flucht von Präsident Evo Morales. Jetzt wird Boliviens Ex-Übergangspräsidentin Áñez zu zehn Jahren Haft verurteilt.

Jeanine Áñez am 13. März 2020 an einer Zeremonie im Präsidentenpalast in La Paz. | David Mercado / Reuters
{dpa) Ein Gericht in La Paz hat die ehemalige bolivianische Übergangspräsidentin Jeanine Áñez zu zehn Jahren Haft verurteilt. Áñez müsse die Strafe wegen verfassungswidriger Entscheidungen und Pflichtverletzungen, als sie im November 2019 die Interimspräsidentschaft übernahm, im Miraflores-Gefängnis am Regierungssitz La Paz absitzen, sagte der Richter bei der Verlesung des Urteils am Freitag (Ortszeit). «Mir wurde alles verweigert, und ich wurde schlechter behandelt als alle anderen, aber ich war, bin und werde die verfassungsmässige Präsidentin sein, die ihre Aufgabe übernahm, nachdem der Feigling geflohen war», hatte Áñez zuvor auf Twitter geschrieben. » | dpa | Samstag, 11. Juni 2022

Bolivian ex-president Jeanine Áñez jailed as leader of ‘coup’: Court finds rightwinger defied constitution during chaotic exit of Evo Morales, from whom she took over presidency »

US Became Investigator & Judge; This Is a Violation of International Law – Bolivia UN Envoy on Syria Strike

Bolivia envoy slams US missile strike on a Syrian Army airbase after Russia calls for emergency UNSC meeting on the attack.

Unbridled Capitalism Is the 'Dung of the Devil', Says Pope Francis

Pope Francis makes his speech in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where
he called for the poor to have the "sacred rights" of labor,
lodging and land. 

THE GUARDIAN: The pontiff condemns the impoverishment of developing countries by the world economic order and apologised for the church’s treatment of native Americans

Pope Francis has urged the downtrodden to change the world economic order, denouncing a “new colonialism” by agencies that impose austerity programs and calling for the poor to have the “sacred rights” of labor, lodging and land.

In one of the longest, most passionate and sweeping speeches of his pontificate, the Argentine-born pope used his visit to Bolivia to ask forgiveness for the sins committed by the Roman Catholic church in its treatment of native Americans during what he called the “so-called conquest of America”.

The pontiff also demanded an immediate end to what he called the “genocide” of Christians taking place in the Middle East and beyond, describing it as a third world war. » | Reuters | Thursday, July 9, 2015

Pope Francis Wants to Chew Coca Leaves in Bolivia, Says Minister

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: La Paz: Pope Francis has told the Bolivian government that he would like to chew coca leaves, the key ingredient in cocaine, when he visits the Andean country next month, a Bolivian minister said on State television and radio on Sunday.

Situated at about 3,650 metres above sea level, La Paz is one of the world's highest capital cities and for centuries local people have chewed coca leaves to ward off the effects of altitude.

Although it is the key ingredient in cocaine, the unprocessed leaf is legal to use and still widely chewed in Bolivia and other Andean countries. Many indigenous people, including Bolivian President Evo Morales, defend its use and consider it a sacred plant. » | Reuters | Monday June 29, 2015

Bolivia Becomes First Nation to Legalise Child Labour from Age 10

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bolivia says law reflects reality in country where 1 million children regularly work, but activists complain it will increase poverty and contravenes United Nations conventions

Alicia weaves through El Alto's stalled traffic under a blazing sun, hawking colourful woven flowers to grumpy drivers and lovers. With luck, the 12-year-old and her mother will together muster £10 by day's end, all the while keeping watch over her younger brother and sister, ages 8 and 6.

"It is difficult for my mother to sell alone because she has to look after my siblings," said Alicia, who normally goes to school in the afternoon but is using her vacation to help her mother by working the entire day. As her siblings sleep, her mother knits the flowers that Alicia sells.

While most of the world is trying to diminish child labour, Bolivia has become the first nation to legalise it from age 10. Congress approved the legislation early this month, and Vice President Alvaro Garcia signed it into law on Thursday in the absence of President Evo Morales, who was travelling.

The bill's sponsors say lowering the minimum work age from 14 simply acknowledges a reality: many poor families in Bolivia have no other choice than for their kids to work. The bill offers working children safeguards, they say. » | Agencies | Saturday, July 19, 2014

Edward Snowden Given Possible Lifeline as Bolivia Hints It Would Grant Asylum

THE GUARDIAN: Evo Morales says his country is keen to 'shield the denounced' as Snowden's father Lon compares son to Paul Revere

Bolivia threw a possible lifeline to the surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden on Tuesday, telling Russian television it would consider granting him political asylum to escape from what it called the espionage network of the US "empire".

As other options began to fade for Snowden, trapped in the transit zone of a Moscow airport, Bolivian president Evo Morales said his country was keen to "shield the denounced".

Snowden's father, meanwhile, stepped up the rhetoric in favour of his son's actions on Tuesday, publishing an open letter that compared him to colonial independence fighter Paul Revere.

The letter was signed by Lon Snowden and his lawyer, Bruce Fein, who also reported receiving a phone call from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Fein told the Associated Press that Assange, in the phone call on Saturday, delivered what he said was a message from Snowden to his father, asking him to keep quiet.

Speaking in Moscow, Morales said Bolivia had not received a formal application for asylum from Snowden yet, but hinted it would consider any request favourably.

"If there were a request, of course we would be willing to debate and consider the idea," Morales told RT Actualidad, the Spanish-language service of Russian broadcaster RT. » | Dan Roberts in Washington | Tuesday, July 02, 2013

BBC: Bolivia leader's jet diverted 'amid Snowden suspicions': Bolivian President Evo Morales's plane has been diverted to Austria amid suspicion that US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden is on board, the foreign minister has said. » | Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Bolivia Passes New Law to Protect Women
Violence against women to be punished with up to 30 years in prison.

Iran Defence Minister Forced to Leave Bolivia over 1994 Argentina Bombing

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran's defence minister was forced to leave Bolivia during a diplomatic trip after Argentina demanded his arrest in connection with the deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires.

Ahmad Vahidi was invited to Bolivia by the country's Defence Ministry and attended a military ceremony in the city of Santa Cruz [de la Sierra] on Tuesday in the presence of Evo Morales, the Bolivian president.

He is on an Interpol wanted list over the bomb attack in the Argentine capital 17 years ago that killed 85 people and injured up to 300, making it the country's worst terrorist attack.

Argentina believes he planned the attack on the seven-storey Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AIMA) building and gave the final go ahead for the bombing.

Alberto Nisman, the lead prosecutor investigating the attack, contacted Interpol's offices in Bolivia to demand Vahidi's arrest as soon as Argentina became aware that he was in South America.

But Vahidi was travelling on a diplomatic passport granting him immunity from arrest and Bolivia instead told him that he must leave the country.

Jewish groups in Argentina were outraged by Vahidi's visit to a neighbouring country with Guillermo Borger, president of the AIMA describing it as "a provocation" and "a joke".

"It is a mockery and an affront that a friendly country such as Bolivia receives a minister accused of masterminding an attack that left 85 people dead," he said. » | Robin Yapp, São Paulo | Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Deadly Mudslides in Bolivia
At least 50 people have been killed, some 1,500 properties have been damaged and as many as 6,000 residents have already fled widespread flooding in Bolivia. Video courtesy of Reuters

Coca Colla: The New 'Real Thing' in Bolivia
THE GUARDIAN: Bolivian president approves Coca-based dark soft drink / Coca-Cola company yet to comment on red-labelled beverage

Coca Colla being distributed in La Paz this week. The drink is named after the Bolivian Colla people. Photograph: The Guardian
A certain US soft drinks giant may disagree, but Bolivia has come up with a fizzy beverage it says is the real thing: Coca Colla.

The drink, made from the coca leaf and named after the indigenous Colla people from Bolivia's highlands, went on sale this week across the South American country.

It is black, sweet and comes in a bottle with a red label – but similarities to Coca-Cola end there. One is a symbol of US-led globalisation and corporate might; the other could be considered a socialist-tinged affront to western imperialism.

The first batch of 12,000 bottles, priced about $1.50 (96p) for half a litre, were distributed in the capital, La Paz, as well as Santa Cruz and Cochabamba.

The familiar-sounding name and packaging may rile the Atlanta-based soft drinks manufacturer, but Coca Colla could also cause groans in Washington.

It is made from the coca leaf, a mild stimulant that wards off fatigue and hunger, and has been used in the Andes for thousands of years in cooking, medicine and religious rites.

Coca is also the raw ingredient of cocaine, the powerful narcotic that is the primary target of the US-led "war on drugs".

Bolivia tried to wipe out the leaf at Washington's behest. But that was before Evo Morales, an Aymara Indian and coca grower, was elected president, championing coca as a crop with legitimate uses. >>> Rory Carroll | Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The World's Most Surreal Landscapes
Salt flat near the crest of the Andes – Salar de Uyuni. Photograph: The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: Blindingly white and dizzyingly high, this vast salt flat near the crest of the Andes could easily be mistaken for a Salvador Dali painting. Eerie and otherworldly, Salar de Uyuni holds intensely blue skies, red and green lagoons, pink flamingos, smoking volcanoes, giant cacti, hot springs and spitting geysers. Salar de Uyuni >>> | Thursday, January 28, 2010

What Lurks Behind Iran's Close Relationship with Venezuela?
[T]he Iranian effort, which has been joined by Venezuela in a joint effort to establish a strong terror base in the region, is especially palpable in countries ruled by anti-American left wing regimes such as Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Bolivia.

Nonetheless, Iran has also increased its presence in Mexico and Colombia, which are considered more U.S. friendly. The rate of the increase of Iranian personnel in Mexican and Colombian embassies were described by the New York sources as "astronomical" and as "not proportional with the embassies' local requirements." Some believe that this increase is in fact in preparation for subversive activity.

In an exclusive report on the Iran-Venezuela cooperation, published by news Website Newsmax, a study conducted by Israel's Foreign Ministry is quoted as saying that 30 Iranian diplomats were dispatched to Nicaragua. A similar number was dispatched to Venezuela and other Latin American countries. >>> Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent | Thursday, January 1, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

The Prickly Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez at his prickly best! Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: A series of tit-for-tat expulsions has left the US without ambassadors in three Latin American countries.

Bolivia and Venezuela have expelled their US envoys, accusing Washington of trying to oust Bolivia's government.

Washington has responded by throwing out envoys from Bolivia and Venezuela and freezing the assets of three aides to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Meanwhile, Honduras has refused the credentials of a new US ambassador, postponing his appointment.

US officials said the actions of Venezuela and Bolivia showed their leaders' "weakness and desperation".

The BBC's Emilio San Pedro said relations between the US and Latin American opponents such as Mr Chavez had seemed to be on a holding pattern.

But the situation has changed in a matter of days, he says.

This week's arrival in Venezuela of two Russian bomber planes taking part in a military exercise is not thought to have helped the situation.

And with more joint military exercises in the pipeline, our correspondent says it could take a while for tensions to subside. Expulsions Stoke US-LatAm Dispute >>> | September 12, 2008

NZZ Online:
Auch Venezuela weist US-Botschafter aus: Chávez spricht von Solidarität mit Bolivien

Der venezolanische Präsident Chávez hat die Ausweisungen der Botschafter in Bolivien und den USA für einen eigenen Vorstoss genutzt. Venezuela hat ebenfalls den amerikanischen Botschafter ausgewiesen und beordert seinen Botschafter in den USA zurück. >>> | 12. September 2008

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