Bolivia in Turmoil: COB Denounces Abduction and Unlawful Detention of Five Union Leaders

Original article: Bolivia bajo tensión: COB denuncia secuestro y aprehensión arbitraria de cinco dirigentes sindicales

The Bolivian Workers’ Central (COB) raised alarms on Monday by reporting the abduction and unlawful detention of five of its national leaders amid a burgeoning popular uprising in the South American nation, marked by escalating multisector protests and road blockades demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz due to his government’s neoliberal austerity measures.

According to a statement released by the organization, the incidents took place on the afternoon of Sunday, June 7, in a public area, just as the union leaders were peacefully traveling in a private vehicle when they were brutally intercepted by a group of masked individuals, dressed in civilian clothing and armed with firearms.

The assailants, who did not present any police identification or judicial orders, released tear gas inside the closed vehicle to force the victims out, putting their lives and physical integrity at imminent risk.

After the violent interception, the five leaders were taken to the facilities of the Special Force to Fight Crime (FELCC), where they remain detained until a police report justifying their arrest is released.

The COB asserted that this detention lacks any legal basis, as there was neither flagrante delicto nor judicial orders from competent authorities, constituting a flagrant violation of the Political Constitution of the State. They noted that the violated articles include the right to life, personal integrity, union protection, due process, and the explicit prohibition of arbitrary detentions, rights that theoretically ensure a minimally functional rule of law.

From the Central, they warned that the lack of transparency in the procedure reinforces the notion of a more persecutory than judicial action.

Even more concerning is the recent emergence of videos on social media allegedly showing torture and acts of violence against those detained.

They indicated that if these recordings are verified «and prove to be true, it would constitute torture and inhumane violence against our colleagues. Such actions directly violate international treaties ratified by Bolivia, including the American Convention on Human Rights (San José Pact) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as they involve cruel treatment and illegal deprivation of liberty.»

«Similarly, the violation of Convention 87 of the International Labour Organization (ILO) outlines a clear case of unacceptable intimidation and persecution of unions in a rule-of-law state,» they stated in the document.

In light of this situation, the COB demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the five leaders, describing the detention as «completely null and void in full law.»

Simultaneously, they called for the urgent intervention of the Ombudsman, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and the International Labour Organization (ILO), declaring a national state of emergency.

The workers’ central made it clear that the labor force will not permit the criminalization of union activities nor the establishment of illegal abduction practices, threatening to take pressure measures if the authorities do not respond promptly.

Ending with the rallying cry: «STOP UNION PERSECUTION!«, they concluded the statement.