IACHR and UN Human Rights flag risk of impunity concerning Senkata and Sacaba massacres in Bolivia

September 12, 2025

Washington, DC/Santiago—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the South American branch of UN Human Rights are concerned about recent decisions made by courts in Bolivia concerning the Senkata and Sacaba massacres of 2019. Bolivian courts recently annulled judicial proceedings against several police and military officers allegedly involved in serious human rights violations in the context of these massacres, with the argument that they had no competent jurisdiction in these cases.

On August 25, 2025, El Alto Trial Court 4 annulled proceedings in the case of events in Senkata, a decision that was ratified on September 9 by El Alto Criminal Court 4. On August 29, Sacaba Trial Court 1 also annulled judicial proceedings in the case of events in Sacaba. Human rights institutions including the Bolivian Ombudsperson's Office have expressed concern about the risk that these court decisions will lead to impunity and violate victims' right to access justice in a timely manner.

The IACHR and UN Human Rights find that annulling judicial proceedings may imply rollbacks in the search for adequate, timely justice for victims of serious human rights violations. This situation compromises compliance with State obligations to investigate rights violations, punish anyone responsible for them, and grant redress to victims, as well as revictimizing the affected individuals.

At the same time, these court decisions evidence serious hurdles for State compliance with the duty to implement recommendations made by national and international human rights institutions. This includes the recommendations made by the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts for Bolivia (GIEI-Bolivia), which the IACHR has supported through its own mechanism (known as MESEG Bolivia) to monitor compliance with those recommendations, and recommendations held in a report drafted by a UN Human Rights mission.

In 2019, GIEI-Bolivia, at the request of the Bolivian State, gathered data about various human rights violations and included in its final report investigations of the massacres perpetrated in Senkata and Sacaba. The report mentioned that at least 20 people has been killed and many more had been injured in the context of an excessive use of force in joint police and military operations. GIEI-Bolivia concluded in its final report that it was "essential for victims and their families to have access to justice that is timely, fair, and effective". This report also noted that "the State must have a real will to fight impunity and ensure adequate conditions so the system for the administration of justice can do its work in keeping with the applicable independence, credibility, transparency, and objectivity standards".

The 2020 report drafted by UN Human Rights, in turn, identified a disproportionate use of force by police and military officers—including the use of lethal ammunition—in violation of the applicable international standards. UN Human Rights stressed the need for "prompt, independent, impartial, thorough, transparent and effective investigations" and "comprehensive reparation for all victims and their families".

The IACHR and UN Human Rights urge Bolivian institutions to consider the impact that annulling these judicial proceedings will have on the country's compliance with its international human rights commitments. The IACHR and UN Human Rights also ask Bolivian institutions to prevent procedural delays that contribute to impunity in these cases, as well as to take all necessary measures to address these issues.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights belongs to the United Nations Secretariat and its mandate is held in General Assembly Resolution 48/141 of 1993. UN Human Rights, led by its High Commissioner, has the mission to promote and protect the human rights of all people all over the world. 

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