Pirates de Catalunya condemns the coup d’état in Bolivia and calls for an end to violence against the population.
After the events of the last few weeks in Bolivia, Pirates de Catalunya wishes to express not only our rejection and firm opposition to the coup d’état that has ended with the dismissal of President Evo Morales but also our non-recognition of the self-proclaimed president of Bolivia, Jeanine Áñez, authority.
Last October, the elections for president and vice-president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia ended with the victory of Evo Morales’ party in a resounding manner, making a second round unnecessary. However, the candidate in second place, Carlos Mesa, claimed there had been electoral fraud. These suspicions were fed from the Organization of American States and, finally, President Morales agreed to a repeat election. Subsequently, there have been some reports that deny this fraud or that its importance may have altered the meaning of the elections: it is necessary to distinguish between irregularities and a massive fraud that can make a difference.
Despite the electoral repetition announced by President Morales, the police forces and the army have sided with the opposition and have committed serious human rights violations: there are dozens of dead and hundreds injured, as well as elected officials forced to leave the country or subjected to public humiliation. The democratic governments of the world cannot endorse the new regime in Bolivia and accept with normality that such atrocities are committed. In this sense, we oppose the statements of the EU foreign commissioner, Federica Mogherini, who stated that “the power void must be avoided and peace and security guaranteed”, since the regime of Áñez is part of the problem, not a solution to it.
The repressive synergy between the military and police forces and the government is an example of the authoritarian nature of this self-proclaimed Bolivian government. These days we have learned that Áñez has promoted a new decree to exempt the military from any responsibility for violations of rights like the ones mentioned above. In addition, the new government is based on extreme right-wing postulates such as white superiority over indigenous peoples and religious fundamentalism.
To conclude we would like to express our solidarity with the Bolivian people who are suffering the consequences of the coup d’état perpetrated and the indifference or complicity of the rest of the governments around the world. The rise of the extreme right, filofascist and reactionary is not a phenomenon exclusive to Bolivia, but it is one of the few places where this has been done to the government through arms. Immediate action must be taken against the extreme right globally.