Peaceful Assembly
On 1st July 2023, police repressed a protest in Plaza Murillo, where a group of human rights defenders had gathered to demand respect for democracy and the defence of human rights, which were undermined by the break-in at the Permanent Assembly of Human Rights of Bolivia (APDHB) - see section on Association. The police forced the demonstrators away from the Government Palace where they had gathered.
On 3rd July, Red Unitas published its report on civic space in Bolivia covering 2022, which showed that the right to peaceful assembly had the most recorded violations, including cases of provocateurs working with the state to repress protests. According to the report, the police are primarily behind crackdowns on the right to peaceful assembly, with a total of 123 documented cases as such.
Expression
Social media accounts of independent media outlets have faced attacks in recent months, according to UNITAS’ Human Rights Defenders Observatory. Página Siete, Educación Radiofónica de Bolivia (Erbol), and Cabildeo are independent media which have experienced cyberattacks, the latest of which occurred on 18th June 2023, when the Cabildeo Facebook account was hacked.
On 29th June 2023, the newspaper Página Siete published its last edition due to a lack of resources which forced the publication to discontinue operations. Rafael Garafúlic, the director of Página Siete, reported that a combination of adverse circumstances led to the closure of the newspaper, including the ruling party systematically blocking advertising for the newspaper, and even allegedly pressuring private companies not to publish their advertisements in the paper. The Covid-19 pandemic also affected sales of printed newspapers. The closure of Página Siete highlights the political and economic challenges impacting press freedom and media pluralism in Bolivia.
Association
On 2nd June 2023, supporters of the the political party Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) forcibly entered the headquarters of the Permanent Assembly of Human Rights of Bolivia (APDHB), blocking the door and preventing human rights defenders and the president of the APDHB from entering the premises. Armando Camacho, an APDHB employee, reported that the MAS supporters had arrived at the headquarters claiming to want to present a complaint to the Assembly.
One month after the above incident, the APDHB offices continue to be under the control of Édgar Salazar, a MAS supporter, who took part in the forced entry in June. Human rights defenders and civil society called on the authorities to take immediate action. The La Paz departmental prosecutor's office dismissed the complaint filed against Salazar for the forced entry into and occupation of the APDHB headquarters.