|ARANDU OBSERVATORY|
Source: Environmental News Agency
Ombudsman: “Criminal proceedings against environmental defenders contravene international conventions”
|Affected sector: Protected areas and indigenous territories|
Type of violation:
Right to liberty and personal security: Judicial persecution and criminalization involve unjustified arrests, threats, or legal proceedings that affect the freedom of human rights defenders.
Right to defense and due process: By criminalizing them for their defense work, their right to a fair trial and protection against arbitrary accusations is violated.
Right to freedom of expression and opinion: Defending human rights, nature, or territories involves expressing critical positions against the State or companies; criminalization limits this freedom of expression.
Pedro Callisaya – Ombudsman
(March 7, 2025)
The criminalization of human rights and environmental defenders has intensified in Bolivia through the systematic use of the criminal justice system to prosecute those who advocate for human rights, nature, protected areas, Indigenous peoples, and their territories in the face of the advance of extractivism. From his office, Ombudsman Pedro Callisaya granted an interview to ANA to discuss the criminalization of human rights and environmental defenders, the Bolivian State's non-compliance with the Escazú Agreement, and other international and national human rights commitments.