Background

In October, Rodrigo Paz was elected president. Pre-election violence killed eight people, including four police officers.

In December, former president Luis Arce was arrested as a result of a corruption investigation.

The country experienced a severe economic crisis, with the highest year-on-year inflation since 2008. Food and commodity prices rose sharply.

At Bolivia’s fourth UPR, the government rejected recommendations on regulations that restricted civic space.

Human rights defenders

Authorities continued to fail to protect human rights defenders, as they continued to face threats, persecution and attacks. The attacks were particularly aimed at Indigenous Peoples and peasant communities defending territory, land and the environment from the negative effects of mining and hydrocarbon-related activities.

The criminalization of environmental protection intensified. Twelve people protecting the Tariquia National Flora and Fauna Reserve were charged. According to the Ombudsperson’s Office, they were also subjected to legal intimidation, harassment and threats.

Right to a healthy environment

Climate change exacerbated deforestation, wildfires and changes in rainfall patterns, intensifying water scarcity and affecting ecosystems, food security and the right to water.

Civil society organizations reported that extractive activities polluted the water and violated human rights. A study carried out by the Bolivian Documentation and Information Centre, in collaboration with other institutions, revealed that Indigenous women from the Amazon region suffered from high levels of mercury due to the consumption of fish contaminated by mining. Nine out of 10 people studied exceeded safe levels and three out of four were at cardiovascular risk.

Indigenous People’s rights

Extractive projects continued to expand in Indigenous peoples’ territories without consultation or through processes that did not meet the requirements of free, prior and informed consent.

Detainees’ rights

The Ombudsperson’s Office warned of extreme prison overcrowding with more than 33,000 people imprisoned in a system that had a capacity for approximately 16,000. Poor health, substandard food and unsafe conditions were also reported and 15 violent deaths had been registered in prisons as of September.

Right to a fair trial

Concerns regarding judicial independence persisted. The Public Prosecutor’s Office charged a network of judges, lawyers and public officials with corruption, lobbying and organized crime, alleging they had attempted to replace a member of the judiciary. Four of them, including a former minister, had been arrested by the end of the year.

Impunity

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned of the risk that the 2019 Senkata and the Sacaba massacres would go unpunished. Regarding the serious human rights violations committed in the context of these massacres, the proceedings brought against accused police and military officers were declared null and void in September. Bolivia had still not signed or ratified the Ljubljana-Hague Convention.

Women’s and girls’ rights

The Attorney General’s Office documented 81 feminicides and 29 infanticides. In September, Law 1639 came into force, prohibiting early and child marriage under the age of 18. This practice had continued to expose girls to violence, early pregnancy and dropping out of school.