[rad-green] Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, and Pressley Join Letter Condemning Trump for Fueling Crisis in Bolivia

*https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/23/nothing-disdain-democracy-ocasio-cortez-omar-and-pressley-join-letter-condemning
<https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/23/nothing-disdain-democracy-ocasio-cortez-omar-and-pressley-join-letter-condemning>Common
Dreams          November 23, 2019'Nothing But Disdain for Democracy':
Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, and Pressley Join Letter Condemning Trump for Fueling
Crisis in Bolivia"Rather than supporting a military coup, our government
should make it clear that the unconstitutional removal of an elected
president is unacceptable."by Jake Johnson, staff writer*

*Riot police repress supporters of former Bolivian President Evo Morales
during the funeral procession in La Paz, Bolivia on November 21, 2019.
(Photo: Aizar Raldes/AFP via Getty Images)*

As the Bolivian military's violent repression of Indigenous anti-coup
protesters sparked fears
<https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/22/pompeo-calls-it-democracy-bolivia-post-coup-violence-grows-and-fear-civil-war>
of
a full-blown civil war, more than a dozen members of Congress including
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley sent a
letter Friday condemning the Trump administration for supporting the November
10 ouster
<https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/11/global-condemnation-appalling-coup-bolivia-military-forces-socialist-president-evo>
of
former President Evo Morales and "contributing to an escalating political
and human rights crisis."

"We are troubled by statements from administration officials, including
President Trump, that welcome these developments in Bolivia that bear the
hallmarks of a military coup d'état," reads the letter
<https://hankjohnson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-johnson-colleagues-call-trump-administration-support-human-rights>
to
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, which was led by Rep. Hank Johnson
(D-Ga.) and joined by 13 other House members.

"The administration's current approach is dangerously misguided, and could
well contribute to a further breakdown in the rule of law in Bolivia and a
full-blown humanitarian emergency."
—Letter

Two days following the overthrow
<https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/12/statement-reads-chilling-warning-more-coups-come-trump-celebrates-military-coup>
of
Morales on November 10, Trump issued a statement
<https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/12/statement-reads-chilling-warning-more-coups-come-trump-celebrates-military-coup>
celebrating
the coup as a victory for "democracy." Pompeo issued a similar statement
<https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/22/pompeo-calls-it-democracy-bolivia-post-coup-violence-grows-and-fear-civil-war>
of
support Thursday for the right-wing regime of Jeanine Añez, an
anti-Indigenous right-wing senator who declared herself president
<https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/13/military-coup-bolivia-has-been-consummated-says-evo-morales-right-wing-senator>
days
after the coup.

"Over the last week, Morales allies have faced attacks, and threats and
protests have been violently repressed by security forces, resulting in
numerous deaths and injuries," continued the letter from members of the
U.S. House. "Senior Trump administration officials have failed to denounce
violent attacks by security forces, even as demonstrations made up largely
of Indigenous Bolivians have been fired at with live ammunition."

The lawmakers also expressed alarm about the role of the U.S.-dominated
Organization of American States (OAS) played in the ouster of Morales.
As *Common
Dreams* reported
<https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/20/evo-morales-calls-truth-commission-expose-deceitful-role-us-backed-oas-bolivia-coup>,
the OAS issued multiple statements questioning the integrity of Bolivia's
October 20 presidential elections, which Morales won in the first round
over right-wing former President Carlos Mesa.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) found in a statistical
analysis
<http://cepr.net/press-center/press-releases/no-evidence-that-bolivian-election-results-were-affected-by-irregularities-or-fraud-statistical-analysis-shows>
earlier
this month that OAS claims of "irregularities" in the vote count had no
basis in fact.

"Unsubstantiated and misleading statements made by the OAS electoral
mission in Bolivia on October 21, which subsequently were echoed by the
State Department, contributed to further polarization at a moment in which
violent politically-motivated incidents were taking place throughout the
country," the lawmakers said in their letter to Pompeo.

The House members called on the Trump administration to change course and
"support calls for dialogue mediated by the United Nations and other
international bodies," a demand that has been made by Morales and his
supporters in Bolivia.

"The administration's current approach is dangerously misguided," the
lawmakers wrote, "and could well contribute to a further breakdown in the
rule of law in Bolivia and a full-blown humanitarian emergency."

More than 30 people have been killed and hundreds injured since Morales was
deposed by the Bolivian military on November 10. Almost immediately after
taking power, the Añez government issued a decree exempting the military
from criminal prosecution for gunning down protestors and threatened to
arrest
<https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/18/pinochet-style-dictatorship-bolivias-coup-government-threatens-arrest-leftist>
members
of Morales' socialist party.

In a statement, Rep. Johnson said he is "appalled by the Trump
administration's reaction to the emerging crisis in Bolivia."

"Rather than supporting a military coup, our government should make it
clear that the unconstitutional removal of an elected president is
unacceptable, as is the persecution of individuals based on their race or
political affiliations," said Johnson. "This administration is once again
showing that it has nothing but disdain for democracy and human rights when
they get in the way of President Trump's agenda."

Read the full letter:

Secretary Pompeo,

We are deeply concerned that recent statements and actions on the part of
senior Trump Administration officials are contributing to an escalating
political and human rights crisis in the Plurinational State of Bolivia
following contested elections held on October 20, 2019.

On November 10, Bolivia's democratically elected president, Evo Morales,
announced that he was stepping down after the commander of Bolivia’s armed
forces called on him to resign. In a live television broadcast, Morales
stated that a coup was underway and that he was resigning in order to avoid
further bloodshed and unrest. Other resignations of top officials followed,
resulting in a dangerous constitutional power vacuum. On November 12,
opposition Senator Jeanine Añez declared herself President of Bolivia, in
violation of Bolivia's constitution. She received immediate support from
the high command of the country's armed forces.

Over the last week, Morales allies have faced attacks, and threats and
protests have been violently repressed by security forces, resulting in
numerous deaths and injuries according to the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights. Bolivia's de facto authorities have issued a decree exempting
members of the military from prosecution as they engage in the violent
suppression of demonstrations. Morales meanwhile has received asylum in
Mexico and pro-Morales legislators and journalists have been threatened
with arrest for "sedition."

Given this context, we are troubled by statements from Administration
officials, including President Trump, that welcome these developments in
Bolivia that bear the hallmarks of a military coup d'état. On November 11,
the White House released a statement saying that "Morales's departure
preserves democracy" and that "we are now one step closer to a completely
democratic, prosperous, and free Western Hemisphere." On November 12,
Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Michael G. Kozak recognized
Senator Añez as "interim constitutional president of Bolivia." Senior Trump
Administration officials have failed to denounce violent attacks by
security forces, even as demonstrations made up largely of indigenous
Bolivians have been fired at with live ammunition.

We urge you to consider an immediate change in course and to take action to
support democracy and human rights in Bolivia.  While there is legitimate
debate surrounding Morales' decision to run for a fourth term, it is simply
not acceptable for the U.S. administration to welcome the forced removal of
a democratically-elected leader before the end of their mandate. Our
government should call for the prompt restoration of constitutional order,
and for an immediate end to all persecution and attacks targeting leaders
and supporters of Evo Morales and his political party. Additionally, we
call for the adoption of protective measures for those facing threats.

Your Administration should support calls for dialogue mediated by the
United Nations and other international bodies. It should also support new
elections and work with other countries in the region to ensure adequate
conditions that guarantee that every voter and every candidate can safely
and freely participate in the next election campaign and electoral process.
The legitimacy of Bolivia's government will depend on whether former
President Morales' party, which continues to be supported by millions of
Bolivians, can fully participate in these elections.

We wish to also express our concern regarding statements made by officials
from the Organization of American States (OAS), a multilateral organization
that receives the majority of its funding from the U.S. government. In
particular, unsubstantiated and misleading statements made by the OAS
electoral mission in Bolivia on October 21, which subsequently were echoed
by the State Department, contributed to further polarization at a moment in
which violent politically-motivated incidents were taking place throughout
the country. United States officials should exercise greater caution and
assess the merits of Organization of American States officials' claims
before repeating them, particularly when post-election tensions are high.

Finally, we are deeply dismayed that the Administration has failed to
denounce racist attacks targeting Bolivia's indigenous communities and
their symbols, such as the Wiphala pan-indigenous flag which is one of the
country's official flags. Evo Morales was Bolivia’s first indigenous
president and Bolivia’s 2009 constitution enshrines rights and protections
benefiting indigenous peoples that experienced centuries of oppression and
racist discrimination. Self-declared interim President, Jeanine Áñez has a
history of appalling statements about indigenous people, including tweeting
comments that refer to indigenous religious rituals as "satanic", and after
supplanting former President Morales, she declared that "The bible has
returned to the palace". Your Administration should be publicly critical of
attacks and racist hate speech targeting members of indigenous communities
and call for the constitutional rights of Bolivia's peoples to be
respected.

Bolivia's escalating crisis threatens to spiral into violent internal
conflict. The Administration's current approach is dangerously misguided
and could well contribute to a further breakdown in the rule of law in
Bolivia and a full-blown humanitarian emergency, with large migrant
outflows. We strongly urge you to revise this approach and support the
prompt restoration of constitutional order, dialogue between opposing
political factions, fair and inclusive elections, and respect for the human
and cultural rights of all Bolivians.

Sincerely,

Rep. Hank Johnson
Rep. Ilhan Omar
Rep. Susan Wild
Rep. Raul Grijalva
Rep. Jan Schakowsky
Rep. Jared Huffman
Rep. Deb Haaland
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Rep. James McGovern
Rep. Jesus G. "Chuy" Garcia
Rep. Bobby L. Rush
Rep. Ayanna Pressley
Rep. Alan Lowenthal
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton

-- 

--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sid-l" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sid-l/CACKppcxFNoNDGOm0ep1-hZb3OrB0B5r4NTr8Sbbdgep7HPBm%2BQ%40mail.gmail.com.

---
To unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]>
List help: <https://riseup.net/lists>