Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2004 - Bolivia
- Document source:
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Date:
14 April 2005
Aggression against CEJIS members46
Since 2003, the lawyers and members of the Centre for Legal Studies and Social Research (Centro de Estudios Jurídicos e Investigación Social – CEJIS) have been the target of threats and attacks due to their legal support for recognition of indigenous peoples' land rights. On 13 March and 25 September 2003 respectively, two CEJIS lawyers, Mr. Cliver Rocha and Mr. César Blanco, were assaulted in connection with their work.
On 12 November 2003, around 150 people burst into the regional CEJIS headquarters in Trinidad. They were looking for Mr. Javier Aramayo, regional director of the CEJIS, in order to assault him. These facts were the subject of a complaint lodged with the public Prosecutor.
Furthermore, on 5 January 2005, 30 armed members of the Association of Agricultural and Forestry Producers (Asociación de Productores Agrícolas y Forestales – ASAGRI) broke into the CEJIS offices in Riberalta and took away books, computers, fax machines and a short wave radio, all of which they burnt in a public square. Death threats were also issued against CEJIS staff.
[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]
45. See Open Letter to the Argentinean authorities, 18 August 2004.
46. See Annual Report 2003 and Urgent Appeal BOL 001/ 0303/OBS 014.1.
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