Being a political prisoner in Bolivia

By: Fernando Hamdan. Preso político 300 - 19/04/2025

Guest columnist.
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Politically motivated judicial persecution in Bolivia knows no bounds. The instruments of power and the instrumentalization of justice as a weapon to persecute, prosecute, and imprison opponents are confirmed by more than 300 political prisoners.

Almost 10 months ago, I was detained in the early hours of the morning as I was arriving at my home. Hooded men pulled me from the vehicle, placed a hood over my head, and took me to a safe house. Hours later, I was arbitrarily transferred to the city of La Paz. My partner was with me, and she was detained by the special anti-crime force in Santa Cruz for approximately six hours.

I was never notified or summoned. An illegal detention was carried out irregularly according to Bolivian law, and the judge approved it with a single sentence: "Do you have evidence that these abuses were committed?"

The State ministries ignored my status as a human rights defender, denying the accreditation we submitted as CIDHPDA to the Foreign Ministry. The propaganda against me continued.

The government minister exposed me to the public at a press conference as a vile criminal. He created a narrative that I was potentially more powerful than the army commander himself and that I was a key player in the preparation of a coup d'état, which was foiled by his "heroism."

After six months of imprisonment, the Public Prosecutor's Office requested a three-month extension, announcing a complex case and pending investigative actions. My compliance with the guarantees required for trial was not considered, nor was there any alternative measure (which is a proven right) to pretrial detention.

Of course, my lawyers and friends appealed that ruling, and once again, my right to review that judge's decision was buried by the passage of time, with my appeal never being scheduled until those three months had already concluded.

Once the deadline has expired, the Public Prosecutor's Office and five state departments are requesting that my detention be extended for two more months, citing again the complexity of the case, pending investigative acts, the unbundling of my telephone, and the unsealing of my vehicle.

That same day, Thursday, April 10, the government minister presented the documentary about the "failed coup d'état." Once again, he violated my rights, filed a case, and declared me guilty alongside other defendants, once again violating my principle of innocence, undermining my dignity, and imposing a government condemnation on society above all judicial proceedings.

The content of that documentary also sought to extend the persecution to my contacts, friends in the democratic struggle, institutional and social leaders, activists, and lawyers with whom I defended other political prisoners and victims of persecution, simply because I had contact with them during moments of tremendous anguish when the events of June 26, 2024, were taking place.

They took advantage of my esteem and admiration for notable Bolivians to persecute them like the civilian cabinet that had tried to take over a military government.

These INNOCENT people are also a consequence of the government's setup to silence ideas, brilliant minds, and true defenders of democracy.

The reality of being a political prisoner or persecuted person in Bolivia is that the legal framework diminishes in importance compared to the official discourse and truth of those in power who use the justice system as an instrument of coercion and subjugation.

The request of the Bolivian political opposition.

We all understand the critical moment and the need for unity, but it is seen as petty that efforts for Bolivia are conditioned by each of the contenders' ambitions to be number one. "Unity, yes, but me first and Bolivia second." That is the hypocritical and contradictory message we citizens feel.

It seems that it is still not understood that the freedom of political prisoners and the freedom of Bolivia can only be achieved when the Castro-Chavista organized mafia, which is already losing its democratic facade, is banished.

Fernando Hamdan

Political prisoner 300

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