|ARANDU OBSERVATORY|
Source: Digital newspaper “El Deber”
Civic and environmental groups demand justice for Lilibeth Coimbra: the court suspended the hearing
|Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia|
Type of violation:
Right to due process and the presumption of innocence: Detention based on accusations deemed unfounded and without sufficient evidence violates the guarantee that every person is innocent until proven guilty and the right to a fair and impartial process.
Right to liberty and personal security: The detention of Lilibeth Coimbra and her mother, under questionable conditions, affects their freedom and security, especially since alternative measures to detention have not been considered.
Right to human dignity: The public exposure of both women in handcuffs constitutes a form of stigmatization that violates their honor and moral integrity, prohibited by national and international norms.
Lilibeth Coimbra – Activist from Santa Cruz (Violated Human Rights Defender)
(April 17, 2025)
Civic leaders and environmental activists mobilized in Santa Cruz to demand the release of Lilibeth Coimbra and her mother, detained for the alleged crime of biocidal homicide following the poisoning deaths of three dogs. The protesters denounced the lack of evidence and called the process a judicial persecution, while Coimbra maintained her innocence, asserting that she voluntarily handed over all the required evidence to the authorities. The activist recalled her environmental work during the 2023 forest fires and questioned why the justice system does not act with the same rigor in the face of other crimes, also lamenting that her mother's fragile health was not taken into consideration.
The Civic Committee, led by Stello Cochamanidis and Agustín Zambrana, expressed its support for the Coimbra family and demanded respect for due process and an impartial investigation. The hearing for precautionary measures was suspended due to the assigned judge's recusal, resulting in the transfer of the mother and daughter to police cells until the hearing is rescheduled. Outrage intensified after images of the two women in handcuffs circulated, generating a wave of support on social media and among citizen organizations demanding their immediate release.