Bolivia: WALDO ALBARRACIN – Lawyer

On February 22nd and 28th 2001 Waldo Albarracin, lawyer and President of the Bolivian Permanent Human Rights Assembly (APDH), received death threats believed to have been made in response to his work with APDH. APDH recently provided Spanish judge Baltazar Garzon with documents implicating the President of Bolivia, Hugo Banzer, in Operation Condor, the government program implemented during 1971-78 to eliminate political opponents. Mr. Albarracin was kidnapped and tortured in 1997. The Chamber of Deputies identified six government officials as responsible for the kidnapping and torture, including the Chief of Police and a Prosecutor. None of these people have been prosecuted. [link to AI Urgent Action][AI Index AMR 18/001/2001]

LRWC ACTION

Letters were sent to the President and copies to the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, the Minster of Government, the Colombian Ambassador to Canada, and human rights organizations.