Vandalism in the streets of Sucre and persecution against constituent delegates put at risk the future of the assembly

The protests in favour of making Sucre the full capital of Bolivia have turned into criminal actions. The Government has called for unity and deplored the violence. The constituent assembly has suspended indefinitely its sessions due to lack of guarantees. State media has deplored the aggression against journalists. Chuquisaca will carry out a new 24 hour civic stoppage this Thursday.

Sucre and La Paz, August 22 (ABI) – The mobilisations in favour of making Sucre the full capital spilled over this Wednesday into acts of vandalism, persecution of constituent delegates, attacks against private houses, looting of union headquarters, destruction of media installations and physical aggression against journalists. These acts have dangerous put in risk the future of the constituent assembly, which indefinitely suspended its sessions.

The day of violence in the capital of the republic was lead by the Inter-institutional Committee which supported university youth and high school students as confronted police in the morning, and in the afternoon gave themselves the task of assaulting assembly delegates, attacking private homes and hitting journalists who supposed did not agree with the demand of full capital.

The president of the assembly, Silva Lazarte, denounced the very worrying lack of guarantees for the constituent delegates, principally those from La Paz and MAS, who are being threaten and even notified to leave the private houses where they are temporarily staying.

The government lamented the day of violence that shook the capital of the republic, exhorting unity and asking for guarantees so that the assembly could continue its work.

For its part, the Inter-institutional Committee convoked for this Thursday a new 24 hour civil stoppage demanding the restitution of issue of the capital in the debate within the assembly.

The attacks against the journalists of Radio New Homeland and Bolivian Television were deplored by the Direction of Social Communication and the directors of the state media via a letter they send to the press organisation, in support of the right to information being respected.

Meanwhile the campesino and indigenous unions will evaluate in the next few hours the looting of their offices by vandals who carried out these actions.

Suspension – constituent assembly.

Following an analysis of the violence carried out by radical groups in Sucre and having proven the lack of guarantees to secure the physical integrity of the assembly delegates, the president of the Constituent Assembly, Silvia Lazarte, indefinitely suspended future plenary sessions.

Following the incidents that occurred at midday between the police and the protestors, headed by the Inter-institutional Committee, the directive of the assembly agreed to receive the committee so as to hear their concrete demands, where they proceed to attempt to impose, by any means, the decision of the committee to reinsert the issue of the full capital.

Around 3pm, following the aforementioned meeting, Lazarte announced the indefinite suspension of the assembly, also informing that due to the security situation they would ask the commander of the Tactical Unit for Police Operations (UTOP) to increase police numbers surround the Gran Mariscal Theatre, to avoid new confrontations.

In regards to this issue, the constituent delegate, Marco Carillo lamented the attitudes of intolerance expressed by some sectors against the delegates from La Paz and MAS.

Persecution – assaults.

A violent group destroyed with rocks, sticks and other heavy objects the windows and doors of a private house adjacent to the Gran Mariscal Theatre, where MAS delegate, Ignacio Mendoza, was supposedly seeking refuge.

The delegate, Mendoza, who had abandoned during the hours of the afternoon the headquarters of the Constituent Assembly (Gran Mariscal Theatre), was intercepted and afterwards chased after by irate protestors.

After running several blocks, the delegate took refuge in a private house that was close to the Gran Mariscal Theatre. The vandals incorrectly identified the house where the delegate was seeking refuge, and with a violent and aggressive attitude, used rocks and other types of objects against the windows and doors, without reason.

Government

The executive power condemned the persecution and physical aggression against the constituent delegates, the violation of the state of law and the attack on freedom of the press.

Spokesperson for the presidency, Alex Contreras, announced that these acts will be denounced at the national and international level, given it was a matter of serious excesses against the democracy.

He denounced that the groups that were carrying out these acts of vandalism and delinquency were financed by the Civic Committee, the office of the mayor of Sucre and San Francisco Xavier University.

He announced that this Thursday they would present evidence that the students of San Francisco Xavier have been obliged to participate in the strikes, marches and acts of violence, with the threat of losing a year of study if they did not attend.

Moreover, the executive power called for the unity and integration of the country and to leave aside particular interests in order to guarantee the conclusion of work of the constituent assembly, that is seeking to realise structural changes for the country.

“We call on the population to wager on the unity and integration of the country. We don’t want division, we don’t want confrontations, nor mayor rivalries between some sectors. What we want to promote – hopefully we can and we will continue to do so with all our efforts until the last moment – is to guarantee the conclusion of the Constituent Assembly”, signalled Contreras.

Translated from ABI