Silence reigns on the US-backed coup against Evo Morales in Bolivia

[arenean]

By Mark Weisbrot in The Guardian:

The Organization of American States had a key role in the destruction of the country’s democracy last November

Bolivia has descended into a nightmare of political repression and racist state violence since the democratically elected government of Evo Morales was overthrown by the military on 10 November last year. That month was the second-deadliest in terms of civilian deaths caused by state forces since Bolivia became a democracy nearly 40 years ago, according to a study by Harvard Law School’s (HLS) International Human Rights Clinic and the University Network for Human Rights (UNHR) released a month ago.

Morales was the first indigenous president of Bolivia, which has the largest percentage of indigenous population of any country in the Americas. His government was able to reduce poverty by 42% and extreme poverty by 60%, which disproportionately benefited indigenous Bolivians. The November coup was led by a white and mestizo elite with a history of racism, seeking to revert state power to the people who had monopolised it before Morales’ election in 2005. The racist nature of the state violence is emphasised in the HLS/UNHR report, including eyewitness accounts of security forces using “racist and anti-indigenous language” as they attacked protesters; it is also clear from the fact that all of the victims of the two biggest massacres committed by state forces after the coup were indigenous.

What has received even less attention is the role of the Organization of American States in the destruction of Bolivia’s democracy last November.

As the New York Times reported on 7 June, the organisation’s “flawed” analysis immediately following the 20 October election fuelled “a chain of events that changed the South American nation’s history”.

Full story: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/18/silence-us-backed-coup-evo-morales-bolivia-american-states

[BComplex]

1. This is the very same thing the trumpets are trying to do to the United States.

This is an abomination, and it has to stop. Morales was doing a really good job, but the racists just couldn't stand it.

[Judi Lynn]

2. The European descendants of the invaders, thieves, torturers, sadistic murderers despise Bolivians.

They've tried to destroy him since before he was elected, when he was an indigenous leader already.

The racist fascist controlled culture has been described as being worse than the US South during the 1950's. They didn't allow the indigenous people to vote until there was a revolution in 1952, nor would they allow them to walk on the sidewalks with the "whites" until after the revolution, either.

Until this day, in their racist insults, they refer to indigenous citizens as "llama abortions" or simply "f#cking Indians."

These are the people the Trump regime has catapulted into office in the last few months. Figures, of course.

As you stated, Morales was bringing the First Bolivians out of the dark, out of desperate poverty, illiteracy, dispair. That's why it has seemed so important he continue his mission until the majority finally had a faint hope, at least, of a safe, clean place to live, electricity, running water, etc.

Racists just don't think they can allow that to happen.

[appalachiablue]

4. Worse than the US South in the 1950s and more, wow.

Thanks for the background and info. on Morales vital work. I didn't know it was quite this dire, and saw things getting better during Morales' admin.

[Zorro]

3. Mark Weisbrot?

Guess he's shifted his focus over to Bolivia, now that the Bolivarian Revolution he has been defending for years has proven to be such a success...