IACHR Condemns Coup Attempt in Bolivia

July 3, 2024

Washington, D.C. – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the coup attempt staged by a portion of the Bolivian Army and calls for full, immediate respect for the country's democratic institutions, for the preservation of the constitutional order, and for the protection of human rights.

On June 26, a portion of the Bolivian Army deployed military vehicles and occupied public spaces in La Paz, specifically Plaza Murillo, with a view to bringing down the democratically elected government and designating a new cabinet. One tank pushed down the gates at Palacio Quemado, the seat of the executive.

In this serious crisis scenario, the international community, and particularly various States in the Americas, rejected the military uprising in settings including the 54th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS). Within Bolivia itself, several government institutions, human rights organizations, and social actors rejected these events and announced plans to mobilize against the coup attempt.

According to the Charter of the OAS and the Inter-American Democratic Charter, democracy is necessary to achieve stability, peace, and development in the region. Essential tenets in this context include respecting human rights, exercising power subject to the rule of law, and subordinating all public institutions including the Army to legally appointed civilian authorities. In democratic societies, the main mission of the Armed Forces is to defend and preserve the State's independence, security, and stability, upholding democracy and respect for human rights.

The Inter-American Commission notes that the actions of a portion of the Bolivian Armed Forces entailed an attack against the democratic principles held in the constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. The IACHR therefore urgently calls for unrestricted respect for democratic institutions and the preservation of the constitutional order in Bolivia.

Finally, the IACHR stresses that prior institutional crises in Bolivia have led to serious human rights violations that have especially affected indigenous peasant peoples and other particularly vulnerable groups.

Taking into consideration a recent past marked by serious social conflict, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights urges all agents of the State to comply with their duty to respect, safeguard, and protect human rights. Democratic stability and respect for human rights require the cooperation of all political and social actors to defend Bolivia's institutions.

A principal, autonomous body of the OAS, the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for and to defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 156/24

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