Independencia mining law protest
In 2014, a dispute over proposed changes to Bolivia’s Mining and Metallurgy Bill led to nationwide protests by cooperative miners. One of these demonstrations escalated into a violent clash with police near Sayari, resulting in casualties and numerous injuries.
Independencia mining law protest 2014:
A confrontation between the police and miners left two dead and 133 wounded in the Sayari Sector on the Cochabamba-Oruro highway on Monday night, March 31 (Opinión 2014b). The conflict began after miners organized roadblocks across the country to demand modification of articles 132 and 151 of Law no. 535, Mining and Metallurgy Bill, which had been proposed by the Plural Economy Commission on March 17, 2014 (Los Tiempos 2014b). Under this law, President Evo Morales’s administration would have greater authority and oversight over private tin, silver, and zinc miners’ dealings with private or foreign companies and the provision of mining licenses. In addition, the law criminalized any protests against ongoing mining operations, removing the channels miners and farmers relied on to voice their displeasures (Dangl 2014).
In Kami, the miners who worked for Cooperativa Minera El Progreso Kami Limitada, whose leader Alejandro Santos had called for the blockade, were allegedly armed with dynamite. Police were instructed to respond with tear gas (Los Tiempos 2014a; La Razón 2014). The miners who participated in the blockade on Monday clarified protests were peaceful until the police confronted them by ambushing the miners from the hills and began throwing tear gas at them (Opinión 2014a). Among the miners and police officers, dynamite, Molotov cocktails, and firearms were used (Opinión 2014b). It remains uncertain who initiated the conflict.
The Dead
Amid the conflict, Juan Manuel Cachaca Condori (18) was the first to die. According to his mother, he was hit by a tear gas capsule during the Sayari blockade and fell to the ground where one of the uniformed officers “le disparó a quemarropa” (shot him at point-blank range) (Opinión 2014a). The other deceased individual, Jhonny Huisa (30), was found with his face covered in blood. He left behind his mother, two children, and a pregnant wife. Medical professionals who attended the scene reported police detaining them under the pretense of carrying explosives and using means of torture against them once in custody. 44 people were hospitalized – 37 police officers and 7 critically injured mining activists.
The president of the Kami Mining Cooperative, Michael Vargas, stated that the two dead were “dispararon a quemarropa con revólver y fusil” (shot at point-blank range with a revolver and a rifle) to the heads (Opinión 2014a). Miners declared two days of mourning for the deceased and maintained blockades on a western Cochabamba highway as they blamed the government for the violent events that occurred on Monday.
Of those wounded, three policemen–Wilber Calatayud (35), José Chávez Salvatierra (36), Hipólito López Ramos (29)–were taken hostage by cooperative members (Los Tiempos 2014b). Miners took them to receive more favorable responses to their demands.
Government Response & Events That Followed
Minister of Government Carlos Romero negotiated with the miners on April 1, agreeing to halt. The progress of the bill. Evenutally, at 2:30am on April 2, 2014, the 3 captured officres were relased by the miners. (GobiernoAnulaLey201?). They were eventually taken to be treated at a hospital in Kami to receive specialized care after getting blows to their head and body and sustaining “policontusiones, heridas y laceraciones” (contusions, wounds, and lacerations), Doctor Roger Ayra explained (Opinión 2014c).
In the ensuing aftermath, Minister of the Interior Carlos Romer and mining cooperative leader Alejandro Santos agreed to a revision of the mining bill. On April 27, 2014, the government and union leaders agreed to public-private mining partnerships that allow local mining cooperatives to seek deals with private funders with the minimum interference from the Bolivian Government (“Gobierno y mineros alcanzan consenso sobre la ley de minería” 2014). Police officers involved also launched a lawsuit against their superiors, claiming they were sent with undue equipment and suffered undue hardship in the face of action (“Gobierno anula ley y mineros rechazan” 2014).
Despite the government’s pledge to suspend the approval of the law on April 1, 2014, the law was ratified on May 28, 2014, two months after this violence clash (Los Tiempos 2014a).
| Event | Year | Confirmed | State Perp | State Victim | Sep from State | Protest Domain | Presidential Administration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independencia mining law protest | 2014 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Mining | Evo Morales |
| Date | First Name | Surnames | Age | Deceased Affiliation | Intentionality | State responsibility | Perpetrator Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr 2014 | Juan Manuel (Jaime) | Cachaca Condori (Cachiacaen) | 18 | Miner | Direct | Perpetrator | Security Force |
| 01 Apr 2014 | Jhonny | Huiza Condori | 29 | Miner | Direct | Perpetrator | Security Force |