Community Justice?

Ejti Stih, "Lynching" 2007 (oil on canvas, detail)

The Gas War, Populism, Justice, Human Rights, Civil Liberties

In power for almost two years, Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, has turned the country into a territory ruled by irrationality and violence.

In speeches and public relations campaigns, the government condemns its predecessors and what it calls the injustices of the past. It seeks to create the myth that Morales is the incarnation of the “noble savage.” The reality is radically different. Far from ushering in a new age of enlightenment, Morales is undermining the rule of law and threatening the destruction of Bolivian democracy.

Today, Bolivia is undergoing a regression of civilization, a return to medieval times. The rights of the individual are under a systematic attack. Not only the political opposition, but the entire justice system is threatened. Evo Morales is implementing his radical authoritarianism by using contemptuous and abusive methods. With its staged media events, the government’s propaganda machine is unfettered. Even the President’s “man of the people” wardrobe is a part of this propaganda. The government’s heavy-handed tactics are finally making the world wake up to the true nature of the Bolivian regime.