releases: https://hankjohnson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-johnson-colleagues-call-trump-administration-support-human-rights
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| https://hankjohnson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-johnson-colleagues-call-trump-administration-support-human-rights | Rep. Johnson, colleagues call on Trump Administration to support human rights and restoration of constitutional order in Bolivia | 2019-11-22 | 2019 | 2019-11 | Democrat | House | GA | Hank Johnson | J000288 | hankjohnson.house.gov | legacy | Rep. Johnson, colleagues call on Trump administration to support human rights and restoration of constitutional order in Bolivia WASHINGTON, D.C. On Friday, Rep. Hank Johnson and 13 House members sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling on the Trump Administration to support democracy and human rights in Bolivia. The nation's death toll continues to climb, and the country has descended into political turmoil since its contested elections held on October 20, 2019. The letter states that the events leading to President Evo Morales' resignation and exile bear the hallmarks of a military coup d'tat, and criticizes the Administration's statements welcoming Morales's departure, while recognizing Senator Jeanine ez as president, despite the unconstitutional manner in which she assumed power. Congressman Johnson expressed dismay that the Department of State has failed to condemn the killing of numerous protesters by state security forces, and the racist attacks targeting indigenous peoples and their traditions. I am appalled by the Trump Administration's reaction to the emerging crisis in Bolivia, Rep. Johnson said. "Rather than supporting a military coup, our government should make it clear that the unconstitutional removal of an elected president is unacceptable, as is the persecution of individuals based on their race or political affiliations. This Administration is once again showing that it has nothing but disdain for democracy and human rights when they get in the way of President Trump's agenda. The letter expresses alarm that the de facto government of Bolivia has issued a decree protecting military units that engage in violent repression and threaten to prosecute journalists and political leaders for sedition. It encourages the Trump Administration to reverse course and push for restoration of constitutional rule, including holding new elections in which every voter and every candidate can safely and freely participate. In addition, the letter expresses concern regarding unsubstantiated and misleading statements made by Organization of American States (OAS) officials shortly after the October 20 elections which contributed to further polarization at a moment in which violent politically motivated incidents were taking place throughout the country. Johnson and his colleagues call on the Administration to assess the merits of OAS officials claims before repeating them. Johnson was joined on the letter by Congressmembers Ilhan Omar, Susan Wild, Raul Grijalva, Jan Schakowsky, Jared Huffman, Deb Haaland, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, James McGovern, Jesus G. Chuy Garcia, Bobby L. Rush, Ayanna Pressley, Alan Lowenthal and Eleanor Holmes Norton. Full text of the letter in English and Spanish below: Mike Pompeo Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington D.C. 20520 Secretary Pompeo, We are deeply concerned that recent statements and actions on the part of senior Trump Administration officials are contributing to an escalating political and human rights crisis in the Plurinational State of Bolivia following contested elections held on October 20, 2019. On November 10, Bolivia's democratically elected president, Evo Morales, announced that he was stepping down after the commander of Bolivia's armed forces called on him to resign. In a live television broadcast, Morales stated that a coup was underway and that he was resigning in order to avoid further bloodshed and unrest. Other resignations of top officials followed, resulting in a dangerous constitutional power vacuum. On November 12, opposition Senator Jeanine Aez declared herself President of Bolivia, in violation of Bolivia's constitution. She received immediate support from the high command of the country's armed forces. Over the last week, Morales allies have faced attacks, and threats and protests have been violently repressed by security forces, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Bolivia's de facto authorities have issued a decree exempting members of the military from prosecution as they engage in the violent suppression of demonstrations. Morales meanwhile has received asylum in Mexico and pro-Morales legislators and journalists have been threatened with arrest for sedition. Given this context, we are troubled by statements from Administration officials, including President Trump, that welcome these developments in Bolivia that bear the hallmarks of a military coup d'tat. On November 11, the White House released a statement saying that Morales's departure preserves democracy and that we are now one step closer to a completely democratic, prosperous, and free Western Hemisphere. On November 12, Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Michael G. Kozak recognized Senator Aez as interim constitutional president of Bolivia. Senior Trump Administration officials have failed to denounce violent attacks by security forces, even as demonstrations made up largely of indigenous Bolivians have been fired at with live ammunition. We urge you to consider an immediate change in course and to take action to support democracy and human rights in Bolivia. While there is legitimate debate surrounding Morales' decision to run for a fourth term, it is simply not acceptable for the U.S. administration to welcome the forced removal of a democratically-elected leader before the end of their mandate. Our government should call for the prompt restoration of constitutional order, and for an immediate end to all persecution and attacks targeting leaders and supporters of Evo Morales and his political party. Additionally, we call for the adoption of protective measures for those facing threats. Your Administration should support calls for dialogue mediated by the United Nations and other international bodies. It should also support new elections and work with other countries in the region to ensure adequate conditions that guarantee that every voter and every candidate can safely and freely participate in the next election campaign and electoral process. The legitimacy of Bolivia's government will depend on whether former President Morales' party, which continues to be supported by millions of Bolivians, can fully participate in these elections. We wish to also express our concern regarding statements made by officials from the Organization of American States (OAS), a multilateral organization that receives the majority of its funding from the U.S. government. In particular, unsubstantiated and misleading statements made by the OAS electoral mission in Bolivia on October 21, which subsequently were echoed by the State Department, contributed to further polarization at a moment in which violent politically-motivated incidents were taking place throughout the country. United States officials should exercise greater caution and assess the merits of Organization of American States officials' claims before repeating them, particularly when post-election tensions are high. Finally, we are deeply dismayed that the Administration has failed to denounce racist attacks targeting Bolivia's indigenous communities and their symbols, such as the Wiphala pan-indigenous flag which is one of the country's official flags. Evo Morales was Bolivia's first indigenous president and Bolivia's 2009 constitution enshrines rights and protections benefiting indigenous peoples that experienced centuries of oppression and racist discrimination. Self-declared interim President, Jeanine ez has a history of appalling statements about indigenous people, including tweeting comments that refer to indigenous religious rituals as satanic, and after supplanting former President Morales, she declared that The bible has returned to the palace. Your Administration should be publicly critical of attacks and racist hate speech targeting members of indigenous communities and call for the constitutional rights of Bolivia's peoples to be respected. Bolivia's escalating crisis threatens to spiral into violent internal conflict. The Administration's current approach is dangerously misguided and could well contribute to a further breakdown in the rule of law in Bolivia and a full-blown humanitarian emergency, with large migrant outflows. We strongly urge you to revise this approach and support the prompt restoration of constitutional order, dialogue between opposing political factions, fair and inclusive elections and respect for the human and cultural rights of all Bolivians. Sincerely, Rep. Hank Johnson Rep. Ilhan Omar Rep. Susan Wild Rep. Raul Grijalva Rep. Jan Schakowsky Rep. Jared Huffman Rep. Deb Haaland Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rep. James McGovern Rep. Jesus G. Chuy Garcia Rep. Bobby L. Rush Rep. Ayanna Pressley Rep. Alan Lowenthal Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton Mike Pompeo Secretario de Estado Departamento de Estado de EE.UU. 2201 C Street NW Washington D.C. 20520 Secretario Pompeo, Nos preocupa profundamente que las recientes declaraciones y acciones de altos funcionarios del Gobierno del presidente Donald Trump estn contribuyendo al incremento de una crisis poltica y de derechos humanos en el Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, luego de las controvertidas elecciones celebradas el 20 de octubre de 2019. El 10 de noviembre, el presidente democrticamente electo de Bolivia, Evo Morales, anunci que dimita despus de que el comandante de las Fuerzas Armadas de Bolivia le pidiera que renunciara. En una transmisin televisiva en vivo, Morales declar que se estaba produciendo un golpe de Estado y que renunciaba para evitar ms derramamiento de sangre y mayores disturbios. Le siguieron otras renuncias de altos funcionarios, lo que result en un peligroso vaco de poder constitucional. El 12 de noviembre, la senadora opositora, Jeanine Aez, se declar presidenta de Bolivia, en violacin de la Constitucin boliviana. Recibi el apoyo inmediato del alto mando de las Fuerzas Armadas del pas. Durante la ltima semana, simpatizantes de Morales han sufrido ataques y amenazas, y protestas han sido violentamente reprimidas por las fuerzas de seguridad, lo que ha resultado en numerosas muertes y heridos, segn la Comisin Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. Las autoridades de facto de Bolivia han emitido un decreto que exime a los militares de ser procesados por su participacin en la represin violenta contra las manifestaciones. Mientras tanto, Morales recibi asilo en Mxico, y legisladores y periodistas pro Morales han sido amenazados con ser arrestados por sedicin. Dado este contexto, nos preocupan las declaraciones de funcionarios del Gobierno, incluido el presidente Donald Trump, acogiendo con beneplcito estos acontecimientos en Bolivia que encarnan las caractersticas de un golpe de Estado militar. El 11 de noviembre, la Casa Blanca emiti un comunicado expresando que la partida de Morales preserva la democracia y que ahora estamos un paso ms cerca de tener un hemisferio occidental completamente democrtico, prspero y libre. El 12 de noviembre, el subsecretario del Hemisferio Occidental, Michael G. Kozack, reconoci a la senadora Aez como la presidenta constitucional interina de Bolivia. Altos funcionarios del Gobierno de Trump han fallado en denunciar los ataques violentos de las fuerzas de seguridad, incluso cuando manifestaciones conformadas principalmente por indgenas bolivianos han sido disparadas con municin real. Le instamos a considerar un cambio inmediato en el curso de estas acciones y a tomar medidas para apoyar a la democracia y a los derechos humanos en Bolivia. Si bien existe un legtimo debate en torno a la decisin de Morales de postularse a un cuarto periodo presidencial, simplemente no es aceptable que el Gobierno de EE.UU. acoja con satisfaccin la destitucin forzada de un lder elegido democrticamente antes del final de su mandato. Nuestro Gobierno debera pedir la pronta restauracin del orden constitucional y el fin inmediato de toda persecucin y ataques a lderes polticos y simpatizantes de Evo Morales y de su partido. Adems, solicitamos la adopcin de medidas de proteccin para quienes enfrentan amenazas. Este Gobierno debera apoyar los llamados al dilogo con una mediacin liderada por las Naciones Unidas y otros organismos internacionales. Tambin debe apoyar nuevas elecciones y trabajar con otros pases de la regin para asegurar condiciones adecuadas que garanticen que cada votante y cada candidato puedan participar de manera segura y libre en la prxima campaa y proceso electoral. La legitimidad del Gobierno de Bolivia depender de si el partido del expresidente Morales, que sigue siendo apoyado por millones de bolivianos, pueda o no participar plenamente en las prximas elecciones. Tambin deseamos expresar nuestra preocupacin por las declaraciones hechas por funcionarios de la Organizacin de Estados Americanos (OEA), una organizacin multilateral que recibe la mayora de sus fondos del Gobierno de Estados Unidos. En particular, nos preocupan las declaraciones infundadas y engaosas vertidas por la misin electoral de la OEA en Bolivia el 21 de octubre, de las que posteriormente el Departamento de Estado se hizo eco, contribuyendo a una mayor polarizacin en un momento en el que ocurran incidentes violentos por motivos polticos en todo el pas. Los funcionarios de Estados Unidos deben actuar con mayor precaucin y evaluar los fundamentos de las afirmaciones de los funcionarios de la Organizacin de los Estados Americanos antes de repetirlas, particularmente cuando existen lgidas tensiones postelectorales. Finalmente, estamos profundamente consternados por que este Gobierno no haya condenado los ataques racistas contra las comunidades indgenas de Bolivia y contra sus smbolos, como la bandera panindgena Wiphala, que es una de las banderas oficiales del pas. Evo Morales fue el primer presidente indgena de Bolivia y la Constitucin de 2009 de Bolivia consagra derechos y protecciones que benefician a los pueblos indgenas que por siglos han sido oprimidos y discriminados de manera racista. La autoproclamada presidenta interina, Jeanine ez, tiene un historial de declaraciones deplorables acerca de los pueblos indgenas, incluidos comentarios en Twitter refirindose a los rituales religiosos indgenas como satnicos; mientras que luego de suplantar al expresidente Morales, declar que la Biblia vuelve al Palacio. El Ejecutivo estadounidense debera criticar pblicamente los ataques y los discursos racistas de odio contra miembros de las comunidades indgenas y exigir que se respeten los derechos constitucionales de los pueblos de Bolivia. La creciente crisis de Bolivia amenaza con convertirse en un violento conflicto interno. El enfoque actual del Gobierno estadounidense est peligrosamente equivocado y bien podra contribuir a un mayor colapso del estado de derecho en Bolivia y a una emergencia humanitaria en toda regla, con grandes xodos de migrantes. Le recomendamos encarecidamente que revise este enfoque y apoye la pronta restauracin del orden constitucional, el dilogo entre los grupos polticos opuestos, unas elecciones justas e inclusivas y el respeto a los derechos humanos y culturales de todos los bolivianos. Atentamente, Rep. Hank Johnson Rep. Ilhan Omar Rep. Susan Wild Rep. Raul Grijalva Rep. Jan Schakowsky Rep. Jared Huffman Rep. Deb Haaland Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rep. James McGovern Rep. Jesus G. Chuy Garcia Rep. Bobby L. Rush Rep. Ayanna Pressley Rep. Alan Lowenthal Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |