‘Stop the massacre’: Ousted Morales calls for UN to intervene in Bolivia

Ousted Bolivian President Evo Morales has called for the UN to denounce and “stop this massacre” of indigenous Bolivians by the “dictatorship” currently in charge, saying that 30 people have already been killed.

Tweeting from Mexico, where he was given political asylum after being forced to resign by the Bolivian military on November 10, Morales described the current authorities as the “dictatorship of Áñez, Camacho and Mesa,” referring to the self-proclaimed “interim president” and opposition leaders who lost the election to him last month.

“I call on the IACHR and the UN to denounce and stop this massacre of indigenous brothers who ask for peace, democracy and respect for life on the streets,” Morales added, referring to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a body of the Organization of American States (OAS).

The OAS, however, backed the ouster of Morales by questioning the legitimacy of the vote counts in the October election, which showed him over 10 percent ahead of the challengers. 

There have been multiple reports of indigenous Bolivians – who took to the streets to protest the ouster of Morales, calling it a coup – being fired upon by the police and the military loyal to opposition Senator Jeanine Añez, who declared herself the “interim president” of Bolivia last week. The exact number killed and injured is difficult to ascertain, however. 

Human rights groups and international organizations previously so concerned about “democracy” in Bolivia suddenly went silent the moment Morales resigned. On Wednesday, Añez said she would call for a new general election soon.

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