UN Recognizes Racism by 2019 Coup Promoters in Bolivia

The United Nations Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) confirmed the occurrence of racist and discriminatory actions such as the burning of the Indigenous wiphala flag in Bolivia following the coup in 2019. 

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Paramilitary groups incited hatred and were financed by the so-called "pititas", which were upper-middle-class people supported by security forces.

The UNCAT mentioned that civic groups from Santa Cruz and other regions used the Bible and religion as justification for their violent actions against former President Evo Morales (2006-2019) who was forced to resign on Nov. 10, 2019.

"The facts of racial discrimination were expressed in joint military and police actions, and repression and racist, anti-Indigenous language were directed against the mobilized population, which was mostly Indigenous people, workers and farmers," UNCAT Rapporteur Chairperson Heller said.

The meme reads, "We joined the People's March in defense of our legitimate government elected at the polls. We march in defense of democracy in Bolivia."

Heller also denounced that the De-facto government of Jeanine Añez (2019-2020) used racist and discriminatory speeches in social networks against Indigenous peoples to restore the prominence of Catholicism in public life.

"In a show of cultural intolerance and lack of respect for Indigenous symbols, the wiphala which is an Indigenous flag wielded as identification and protest was removed from public institutions and set on fire in an act of revenge and incitement to hatred," Heller decried.

In Nov. 2019, far-right groups in Bolivia promoted a coup supported by claims of alleged electoral fraud. The De-facto authorities repressed the social movements that took to the streets to protect the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS-IPSP) project.