Support the Campaign to Extradite "Goni" Sanchez de Lozada to Bolivia
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Bolivia Solidarity Network |
| An organization that supports and shares information about social justice issues and movements in Bolivia | ||
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Juicio a Goni ˇYa! |
| Spanish-language website dedicated to the campaign | ||
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Juicio a Goni ˇYa! articles in English |
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Sign the online petition! |
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| Women mourning for victims of the repression |
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Goni, who was president from 1991-97 and from 2002-03, was forced out of office by the people of Bolivia for his violations of both human rights and democratic principles.
During his reign, Goni pushed neoliberal, export-oriented economic reforms onto the very poor and largely unwilling population of Bolivia. He privatized many of Bolivia's state-owned enterprises, including the country's national oil company which resulted in losses of $40 million/year in government revenues. He proposed tax increases on the working poor. He tried to further privatize Bolivia's oil and gas sector, which would have led to the resources being sold back to the Bolivian people at much higher rates. Overall, his privatization policies led to higher unemployment, an increase in poverty levels, decreased national income, and a greater economic dependency on international institutions.
Goni's disastrous economic policies led to may civil protests throughout the country. These protests were often met with military force.
- In Feb. 2003, police in La Paz went on strike partly in protest of the proposed tax increases, and the ensuing gun battle with the government troops, followed by civil protests, left 34 Bolivians dead.
- In Oct. 2003, the "Gas War" began in El Alto. Citizens protesting Goni's plan to further privatize gas and oil were fired on by government troops trying to break apart their blockade of La Paz. Twenty-eight people were killed, and during the protests that followed in El Alto and La Paz, the military killed another 39 people.
Goni was forced out of office due to the massive protests he faced after the October massacre. He and two of his ministers fled to the U.S., where they have been living ever since. The Bolivian people have demanded that Goni and his cabinet ministers, who are responsible for these murders, be returned to their country to face the "Trial of Responsibility" that the Bolivian Congress authorized in 2004.
Although Bolivia formally requested that Goni and his ministers be served with subpoenas over a year ago, the U.S. government has still not complied. And until they are served, they cannot be indicted and extradited to Bolivia to face trial. The U.S. government's refusal to serve these criminals with their subpeonas is yet another subversion of democracy and a slap in the face to the Bolivian people who deserve to see justice enforced for the crimes that were committed against them.
Help the Bolivian people in their struggle for justice! Click here for a sample letter you can send to President Bush demanding that the US government respect the democratic extradition request of Bolivia.