In September and October of 2003, amid fierce civil demonstrations protesting the management of natural gas reserves, 59 Bolivians were killed and 200 more were seriously injured at the hands of the military. The tragedy shocked the country and continues to be a source of tremendous national frustration since there has not been legal consequence for these human rights violations.

President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, who was in office for only 14 months of his second run as Bolivia's president, soon resigned and left for the United States. His brief, violent regime brutalized the country with serious rights violations, such as limiting freedom of press, homicide, genocide, and torture. In response, the Bolivian Supreme Court began investigating the excessive force used to quell the demonstrations, along with many other violations committed. The military has systematically refused to cooperate with the investigations, while the United States failed to issue timely subpoenas to Sánchez de Lozada and two former cabinet members residing in the United States.

In a country where egregious human rights violations go regularly unpunished, the Bolivian Congress began aggressively pursuing Sánchez de Lozada and 11 cabinet members to assess whether they were legally responsible for the deaths. In May 2005, nine former cabinet members were indicted for the massacre. However, Sánchez de Lozada, his Defense Minister, and his Energy Minister have avoided consequence for their actions due to Bolivia's inability to enforce subpoenas to the three men residing in the United States. In October 2005, a group of U.S. citizens symbolically served Sánchez de Lozada with the subpoena and a list of the victims of the massacre at a public event in Washington, organized by Princeton University. The U.S. Government, however, has continued to be nonresponsive in helping Bolivia complete its investigations.

The result of perpetual rights violations by the government against its people has fueled a palpable sense of desperation and anger. Abuse of women and children is widespread and goes unreported and/or unpunished. Women's individual, economic, and social rights are inferior, severely limiting their ability to be agents for economic and social change.

FSD partners with local NGOs that address grassroots rights issues in a wide variety of areas. Whether you are implementing educational workshops for women and children, promoting the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, or providing legal counseling to victims of violence, your experience with FSD will submerse you into a subject that lies at the heart of Bolivia's development struggle.

Read more about Human Rights programs and opportunities initiated by our Community Partners in Bolivia.

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