Information on a police raid at a Bolivian Urban Teachers' Union of La Paz (Federación Departamental de Trabajadores de Educación Urbana de La Paz, FDTEULP) headquarters on 17 February 2001 could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Among the sources consulted, the only reference to a Bolivian Urban Teachers' Union of La Paz (Federación Departamental de Trabajadores de Educación Urbana de La Paz, FDTEULP) was found in a "statement" issued by the Berkeley-based Committee to Support the Revolution in Peru (CSRP) as part of a campaign "to defend of the life of Dr. Abimael Guzmán" (jailed leader of the Shining Path group of Peru; see previous Responses for information on this group) (CSRP 10 Oct. 1999). The "statement" is a petition allegedly signed by various individuals, among them a "Prof. Estanislao Aliaga Z. (Bolivia)3/4Exec. Sec'y Federacion Dptal de Trabajadoras [sic] de la Educacion de La Paz (FDTEULP)" (ibid.).

No additional references to a group with the above names or acronym could be found among the sources consulted.

However, Estanislao Aliaga is referred to in 2001 and 2002 as the executive secretary (secretario ejecutivo) of the Bolivian Confederation of Urban Education Workers (Confederación de Trabajadores de la Educación Urbana de Bolivia, CTEUB) (La Prensa 11 Mar. 2002; Correo del Sur 5 Mar. 2002; ibid. 19 Aug. 2001). Aliaga was elected leader of the CTEUB in August 2001 (ibid.). One report indicates that this election meant that control of the CTEUB was lost by the Communist Party of Bolivia (Partido Comunista de Bolivia, PCB), since Aliaga was a former leader of teachers in La Paz who had left the Revolutionary Workers Party (Partido Obrero Revolucionario, POR), described as a Trotskyist organization (ibid.).

The full name of the La Paz teachers'union in April 2001 was given as the Urban Education Workers' Federation of La Paz (Federación de Trabajadores de la Educación Urbana de La Paz) (no acronym provided), and this federation is mentioned as an affiliated organization of the Bolivian Workers' Central (Central Obrera Boliviana, COB), in the context of ongoing negotiations between the COB and the Bolivian government (La Razón 18 Apr. 2001). While these negotiations were underway, the federation was described as a "radical" (radicalizada) organization, planning a meeting with parents and students of La Paz to establish a "political-unionist command" (comando politico-sindical) in anticiption of a general strike (ibid.).

The teachers' federation of La Paz is mentioned in 2002 as the Teachers' Federation of La Paz (Federación de Maestros de La Paz) (La Prensa 11 Mar. 2002). This federation, reportedly affiliated to CTEUB, was scheduled to lead a march organized by CTEUB under the leadership of Estanislao Aliaga in March 2002 (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Committee to Support the Revolution in Peru (CSRP), Berkeley, California. 10 October 1999. "The 'End of Isolation' Statement." http://www.csrp.org/sig1094.htm [Accessed 10 Feb. 2003]

El Correo del Sur [Sucre]. 5 March 2002. "Maestros dan nuevo plazo." http://www.correodelsur.com/20020305/w_nacional11.shtml [Accessed 10 Feb. 2003]

_____. 19 August 2001. "Partido Comunista perdió dirigencia del magisterio." http://www.correodelsur.com/20010819/w_nacional15.shtml [Accessed 10 Feb. 2003]

La Prensa [La Paz]. 11 March 2002. "Los maestros urbanos están desde hoy en huelga general." http://166.114.28.115/20020311/ciudad/ciudad02.htm [Accessed 7 Feb. 2003]

La Razón [La Paz]. 18 April 2001. "En el conflicto de la COB unos piden diálogo, otros exigen radicalidad." http://ea.gmcsa.net/2001/04-Abril/20010418/cuerpoz/portada.htm [Accessed 10 Feb. 2003]

Additional Sources Consulted

Country Reports 2001. 2002

Cronología Andina/Andean Commission of Jurists, Lima. February 2001

IRB Databases

Latinamerica Press [Lima]. Feb.-Apr. 2001

Internet sites and search engines, including:

Amnesty International

Correo del Sur [Sucre]
Federación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores de la Educación y la Cultura (FLATEC)

Human Rights Watch

La Prensa [La Paz]. Searchable archives

La Razón [La Paz]. Searchable archives