Human Rights Watch Bolivia--human rights monitor tortured; prosecution demanded (4 April 1997)--President Sanchez de Lozada of Bolivia, Human Rights Watch/Americas today expressed its grave concern for prominent human rights monitor Dr. Waldo Albarracin, President of the Permanent Assembly Human Rights. Dr. Albarrac-n was illegally arrested by eight agents of Bolivia's National Police on January 25th at 11:30AM, in La Paz. He was pushed into a vehicle, detained, and was later tortured for over three hours. Dr. Albarracin has identified two of his assailants as police captains Alberto Antezana and Leonel Lopez, and has filed criminal charges against the Minister of the Interior and General Arriaza as instigators of the attack. Human Rights Watch/Americas celebrated that, as a consequence of the assault, the commander of the National Police, General Willy Arriaza, has been removed from office. "However, failure to bring all those accountable to justice contributes to a general climate of impunity which allow acts of intimidation to continue unabated," commented Jos Miguel Vivanco, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch/Americas. "Urgent steps should also be taken by the Bolivian authorities to provide protection for Dr. Albarrac!n and his family," he added. April 4, 1997 Excmo. Sr. Presidente Lic. Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada Palacio de Gobierno La Paz, Bolivia Via Fax: 5912 391216/371388/392606 Excmo. Sr. Presidente, I am writing to express the grave concern that Human Rights Watch/Americas has for the harassment, arbitrary detention and torture suffered by Dr. Waldo Albarrac!n, a well known Bolivian human rights monitor and President of the Permanent Assembly of Human Rights. Dr. Albarrac!n was illegally arrested by eight agents of Bolivia's National Police on January 25th at 11:30AM, in La Paz. He was pushed into a vehicle, detained, and was later tortured for over three hours. According to information that Human Rights Watch/Americas has received, he was severely beaten all over his body, including his genitalia, subjected to death threats and attempted asphyxiation. His captors reportedly identified themselves as "terrorists" seeking revenge against Dr. Albarracin for "turning in two of their colleagues to the government." However, four hours later the agents delivered him unconscious to a cell at the headquarters of the Technical Judicial Police. Later he was examined by the forensic doctor, Dr. Ricaldi, who ordered his transfer to the Medical Center "Copacabana" because of the serious wounds he sustained. The Bolivian National Police have acknowledged that the agents apprehended Dr. Albarracin pursuant to a detention order that was apparently issued by the police. This order was prompted by a statement in a La Paz newspaper on January 24, attributed to Dr. Albarracin, suggesting that a police officer had been shot by one of his own men during recent violence in the Amayapampa region. Dr. Albarracin has denied making any such statement to the press. Human Rights Watch/Americas celebrated that, as a consequence of the assault, the commander of the National Police, General Willy Arriaza, has been removed from office. In addition, Dr. Albarracin has identified two of his assailants as police captains Alberto Antezana and Leonel Lopez, and has filed criminal charges against the Minister of the Interior and General Arriaza as instigators of the attack. However, Dr. Albarracin has continued to receive anonymous telephone threats against himself and his family and they have been subjected to surveillance by unidentified individuals. On February 18, a new anonymous telephone threat was made against members of his family. Human Rights Watch/Americas respectfully urges that your government preosecute to the full extent of the law all those responsible for this gross violation of the rights of a human rights monitor. Failure to bring those accountable to justice contributes to a general climate of impunity which allow acts of intimidation to continue unabated. In addition, urgent steps must be taken by the Bolivian authorities to provide protection for Dr. Albarracin and his family. We strongly urge that all threats and actions against Dr. Albarracin be immediately investigated and that measures are taken to ensure his safety and the safety of his family. Sincerely, Jose Miguel Vivanco Executive Director cc:Dr. Antonio Aranibar Quiroga, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lic. Hugo San Martin, National Secretary Ambassador Curtis Kamman, Embassy of the United States Ambassador Fernando Coss!o, Embassy of Bolivia Website Address: http://www.hrw.org Gopher Address: gopher://gopher.humanrights.org:5000/11/int/hrw Listserv instructions: To subscribe to the general HRW e-mail list (to receive press releases and public letters concerning all regions of the world), send an e-mail message to majordomo@igc.apc.org with "subscribe hrw-news" in the body of the message (leave the subject line blank). To subscribe to the Latin America/Caribbean-specific list (to receive press releases and public letters concerning only Latin America and the Caribbean), send a message to majordomo@igc.apc.org with "subscribe hrw-news-americas" in the body of the message (leave the subject line blank). Human Rights Watch 485 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10017-6104 TEL: 212/972-8400 FAX: 212/972-0905 E-mail: hrwnyc@hrw.org 1522 K Street, N.W. 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