© Natacha Pisarenko/AP
Relatives mourn over the body of Antonio Quispe, killed by security forces, during a funeral at the San Francisco de Asis church in El Alto, outskirts of La Paz, Bolivia, Nov. 20, 2019.
While some may be surprised by its response to the Bolivia crisis, Human Rights Watch's support for a U.S.-backed right-wing coup is no aberration. Bolivia is currently in turmoil after President Evo Morales was deposed in a
U.S.-supported coup d'état on November 10. The new coup government forced Morales into exile,
began arresting politicians and journalists while pre-exonerating security services of all crimes committed during the "re-establishment of order," effectively giving them a license to kill all resistance to their rule.
Dozens have died and massacres of indigenous protesters have occurred in the city of Cochabamba and the small town of Senkata.
In confusing and alarming situations such as these, millions of people around the world look to international human rights organizations for leadership and guidance. However, far from standing up for the oppressed,
Human Rights Watch has effectively endorsed the events. In its
official communiqué, it refrained from using the word coup, insisting Morales "resigned", its Americas Director José Miguel Vivanco claiming the President stepped down "after weeks of civil unrest and violent clashes" and does not even mention
opposition violence against his party nor the role of the military in demanding, at gunpoint, that he resign. Therefore, Morales mysteriously "traveled to Mexico," in the organization's words, rather than fleeing there to escape arrest. Instead, it tacitly endorses the new government, advising it to "prioritize rights."
Comment: While in this case, sparks from welding equipment were thought to trigger the blasts, it's notable that explosions are occurring more frequently: