Porvenir Massacre
Encyclopedia
| Deaths at El Porvenir, September 2009 ---- |
| 1. Pedro Oshiro |
| 2. Alfredo Robles Céspedes |
| 3. Bernardino Racua |
| 4. Wilson Castillo Quispe |
| 5. Wilson Richard Mejía Miahata |
| 6. Arnolfo González (or Arnaldo González Inuma, or Alfonso Gonzáles) |
| 7. Alfonzo Cruz Quispe |
| 8. Johny Carl Sarzury |
| 9. Celedonio Bazoaldo García |
| 10. Felix Roca Torrez |
| 11. Ditter Tupa Matty |
| 12. Nestor Da Silva Rivero |
| 13. Miguel Racua Chau |
| 14. Ervin Villavicencio Chao |
| 15. Vicente Rocha Rojas |
| 16. Abdiel N. |
| 17. Atipe Tupamati, 27 |
| 18. Luis Eduardo Zabala |
| 19. Elvis (last name unknown) |
| Source: UNASUR |
The Porvenir Massacre (also, El Porvenir Massacre, Pando Massacre) was a deadly ambush in the early hours of September 11, 2008, allegedly organized by Prefectural authorities of the Bolivian Department of Pando, (as claimed by the central Bolivian government but never proved) as part of a civil coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
against the government of Evo Morales
Evo Morales
Juan Evo Morales Ayma , popularly known as Evo , is a Bolivian politician and activist, currently serving as the 80th President of Bolivia, a position that he has held since 2006. He is also the leader of both the Movement for Socialism party and the cocalero trade union...
by members of the right-wing civic movement. As a result of the ambush, 19 indigenous protesters of the municipality of El Porvenir
Porvenir Municipality
Porvenir Municipality is a municipal section of the Nicolás Suárez Province in the Pando Department, Bolivia. Its seat is Porvenir. It was the site of the Porvenir Massacre on September 11, 2008. It is also the birthplace of current Cobija mayor, Ana Lucía Reis....
died that day, among them women and children.
It was the most deadly act of political violence in Bolivia since 2003. The protesters were marching to the departmental capital of Cobija
Cobija
The Bolivian city of Cobija is located about 600 km north of La Paz in the Amazon Basin on the border of Brazil and Peru. Cobija lies on banks of the Rio Acre across from the Brazilian city Brasiléia. Cobija lies at an elevation of ca...
to protest departmental government actions during a national political crisis. An investigation by UNASUR found the massacre to be a crime against humanity.
Recall Referendum
On August 10, 2008, a recall referendumRecall election
A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended...
was held in Bolivia on the mandates of President Evo Morales, his Vice-president Alvaro Garcia Linera
Álvaro García Linera
Álvaro Marcelo García Linera is a Bolivian politician who has been Vice President of Bolivia since 2006.-Biography:He was born in Cochabamba and graduated from San Agustín High School. Then, he studied at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City and became a mathematician...
and eight of the nine regional prefects. Evo Morales won the referendum with a 67% 'yes' vote, and he and Garcia Linera were ratified in post. Two of the prefects, both aligned with the political opposition in the country, failed to gain enough support and had their mandates recalled with new prefects to be elected in their place. The elections were monitored by over 400 observers, including election observers from the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
, European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
and Mercosur
Mercosur
Mercosur or Mercosul is an economic and political agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people,...
.
Alleged civil coup attempt
After Morales' victory in the recall referendum, the Morales' government claimed without proof that right wing forces led by Ruben CostasRubén Costas
Rubén Armando Costas Aguilera is the governor of Bolivia's Santa Cruz department for the Truth and Social Democracy party. Previously he served as prefect on behalf of the Autonomy for Bolivia party...
, Mario Cossio, Leopoldo Fernandez
Leopoldo Fernández
Leopoldo Fernández Ferreira is a Bolivian politician. A member of Social and Democratic Power Fernández was Prefect of the northern Bolivian department of Pando from 2006 to 2008....
and Ernesto Suarez with the backing of the US Ambassador to Bolivia Philip Goldberg
Philip Goldberg
Philip S. Goldberg is a United States diplomat who was Ambassador to Bolivia and was expelled by the Bolivian government in 2008, the eighth chief of mission in US diplomatic history to be declared persona non grata...
decided to ignore the result of the vote and on September 2008, launched a civil coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, seizing public building and airports in the Departments of Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando, Tarija; attacking government officials and Morales supporters, and calling for civil disobedience (but never actually calling for Morales resignation).
Event
In the early hours of September 11, 2008, a protest was organized by Prefectural authorities of the Bolivian Department of Pando, As a result of the ambush, near the city of CobijaCobija
The Bolivian city of Cobija is located about 600 km north of La Paz in the Amazon Basin on the border of Brazil and Peru. Cobija lies on banks of the Rio Acre across from the Brazilian city Brasiléia. Cobija lies at an elevation of ca...
, 19 protesters of the municipality of El Porvenir
Porvenir Municipality
Porvenir Municipality is a municipal section of the Nicolás Suárez Province in the Pando Department, Bolivia. Its seat is Porvenir. It was the site of the Porvenir Massacre on September 11, 2008. It is also the birthplace of current Cobija mayor, Ana Lucía Reis....
died that day, among them women and children.
It was the most deadly act of political violence in Bolivia since 2003. The protesters were marching to the departmental capital of Cobija
Cobija
The Bolivian city of Cobija is located about 600 km north of La Paz in the Amazon Basin on the border of Brazil and Peru. Cobija lies on banks of the Rio Acre across from the Brazilian city Brasiléia. Cobija lies at an elevation of ca...
to protest departmental government actions during a national political crisis. An investigation by UNASUR found the massacre to be a crime against humanity.
Judicial Action
The event culminated in the spectacular arrest in September of the Prefect of Pando, Leopoldo FernándezLeopoldo Fernández
Leopoldo Fernández Ferreira is a Bolivian politician. A member of Social and Democratic Power Fernández was Prefect of the northern Bolivian department of Pando from 2006 to 2008....
, for the departmental government's role in the massacre of backers of President Evo Morales
Evo Morales
Juan Evo Morales Ayma , popularly known as Evo , is a Bolivian politician and activist, currently serving as the 80th President of Bolivia, a position that he has held since 2006. He is also the leader of both the Movement for Socialism party and the cocalero trade union...
.
Prosecutors (of the Ministerio Público) presented indictments against 26 people, including Fernández, before the Sixth Sentencing Tribunal (Tribunal Sexto de Sentencia) on 12 October 2009. Scheduled trial proceedings include a jury selection lottery on 20 May 2010, the empaneling of the jury on 26 May, and the beginning of the trial itself on 8 June. The defendants are: Leopoldo Fernández Ferreira, Jorge Lengua Áñez, Olman Pino Soria, Rosendo Domínguez Deromides, Melitón Brito Ferreira, Homer Polanco Ventura, Felsin Fernández Medina, William Musuco Rodríguez, Ronald Musuco Rodríguez, Néstor Da Silva Rivero, Danilo Huari Cartagena, William Terrazas López, Juan Marcelo Mejido Flores, Abel Janco Cáceres, Adhemar Herrera Guerra, Hugo Apaza Sahonero, Felipe Vigabriel Villarroel, Máximo Aillón Martínez, Agapito Vira Cuéllar, Oswaldo Valdivia Avariega, Nilma Banegas Becerra, Hugo Mopi Soliz, Herman Justiniano Negrete, Marcial Peña Toyama, Roberto Rea Ruiz, Wilson Da Silva Ramallo y Evin Ventura Voght.
The massacre is the subject of a 2010 documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by César Brie, Morir en Pando ("To Die in Pando").