The warning comes during the sixth week of a severe social conflict marked by road blockades and clashes led by groups demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz, News.Az reports, citing UPI.
***
According to local media reports, social organizations in Cochabamba contend that the Law on the Regulation of States of Emergency, signed into law Monday, poses a direct threat to protesters and seeks to criminalize demonstrations.
Leaders of the Chimoré Intercultural Federation said the organization’s 15 local chapters had declared a state of emergency and would begin vigils around military bases and security installations in the region.
Mario Rivera, the federation’s secretary for external relations, said the law represents a threat to social movements and claimed grassroots organizations are prepared to respond to any attempt to enforce the measure in the area, according to La Razón newspaper.
Rivera also said protest leaders would not be responsible for the safety of police officers or military personnel if authorities use force to disperse demonstrations or dismantle roadblocks.
The new law establishes procedures, scope and limits for states of emergency authorized under Bolivia’s Constitution. Although the measure has not been implemented, the government has defended it as a necessary legal framework to restore public order and freedom of movement while respecting human rights.
Late Monday, on the highway connecting Cochabamba and La Paz, police units reported attacks involving dynamite explosions and the deliberate triggering of landslides to block the advance of security forces. Local newspaper El Potosí reported that officers used tear gas after protesters refused to clear the roadway.
The roadblocks are being led primarily by the Central Obrera Boliviana, or COB, labor federation, trade union groups, Indigenous communities and farming organizations aligned with former President Evo Morales.
The blockades have caused shortages in several cities, contributing in some areas to a humanitarian crisis marked by limited access to food and medicine.
Bolivia’s Ombudsman’s Office reported at least 10 deaths linked to the conflict. Most of the fatalities involved patients who were unable to receive timely medical care or be transported because of blocked roads.
Amid the crisis, Bolivia has received 39 tons of humanitarian aid delivered in stages by Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru.
