Bolivia: Revolutionary Left Movement (Movimiento de la Izquierda Revolucionaria, MIR); treatment of individuals linked to the party and of their families (1993 - March 2001)

The Revolutionary Left Movement ( Movimiento de la Izquierda Revolucionaria, MIR), founded in 1971 by Jaime Paz Zamora, Oscar Eid Franco and others (Political Database of the Americas 1998; National Democratic Institute for International Affairs 2000), is variously described as "centre left", "social-democratic" or "left-wing nationalist" among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate (ibid.; Freedom in the World 1999-2000; Political Database of the Americas 1998). In a profile of the party published in 2001 by the Bolivian Congress, Jaime Paz Zamora was described as the party's national chief, Oscar Eid Franco as adjunct secretary, Samuel Doria Medina as political coordinator, and Carlos Saavedra Bruno, Erika Brockmann and Gonzalo Valda as executive secretaries.

According to the Washington-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the MIR's base of support consists of the middle class along with "popular, labour, university and peasant sectors" (sectores populares, laborales, universitarios y campesinos) of society (2000). The party leader, Jaime Paz Zamora, served as president of the country between 1989 and 1993, and in 1997 the MIR joined the National Democratic Action party (Acción Democrática Nacionalista, ADN), the Civic Solidarity Union (Unión Cívica Solidaridad, UCS) and the Conscience of the Fatherland party (Conciencia de Patria, CONDEPA) to form a coalition government under the presidency of Hugo Banzer of the ADN (Background Notes: Bolivia Nov. 2000). In addition to the 41 per cent of seats it currently holds in the country's Congress, the MIR is also represented in the governments of 220 of 314 Bolivian municipalities (National Democratic Institute 2000; Honorable Congreso Nacional 2001).

Very little information on the treatment of individuals linked to the MIR or their families could be found the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, on 1 November 1995, Samuel Doria Medina, former economic advisor to Jaime Paz Zamora during the latter's presidency and "leading member" of the MIR, was abducted by six masked, uniformed men in the centre of La Paz (LAWR 16 Nov. 1995). While two armed groups, the Túpak Katari Guerrilla Army (Ejército Guerrillero Túpak Katari, EGTK) and the Néstor Paz Zamora Commission (Comisión Néstor Paz Zamora), initially claimed responsibility for the action, subsequent reports indicated that Doria was abducted by the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement ( Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru, MRTA) (ibid.; Weekly News Update on the Americas 26 Dec. 1996; La República 26 June 1997). Doria was released unharmed on 17 December 1995, allegedly upon payment of a ransom (ibid.; Weekly News Update on the Americas 26 Dec. 1996).

In 1996, party officials characterized the four-year prison sentence imposed on Oscar Eid Franco "for acting as accessory to a drug-trafficking racket" during the period of MIR rule between 1989 and 1993 as a "blatant piece of political persecution" (LAWR 21 Nov. 1996; ibid. 30 May 1996). According to the Cochabamba newspaper Los Tiempos, MIR leaders viewed the pursuit of criminal charges against Eid as an "attempt by the administration and the MNR [Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario] to block their participation in the 1997 elections" (18 May 1996). According to Tierra Lejana, the personal Website of Bolivian journalist Hernán Maldonado, Eid was to be released from prison in late December 1998 (23 Dec. 1998).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Background Notes: Bolivia. November 2000. US Department of State. [Accessed 8 Mar. 2001]

Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties. 1999-2000. 2000. Edited by Adrian Karatnycky et al. New York: Freedom House. [Accessed 8 Mar. 2001]

Honorable Congreso Nacional, Bolivia. 2001. "Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria." [Accessed 8 Mar. 2001]

Latin American Weekly Report (LAWR) [London]. 21 November 1996. "Eid Sentenced to Four-Year Term."

_____. 30 May 1996. "Eid Sentence." (NEXIS)

_____. 16 November 1995. "Former Minister Abducted in La Paz."

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. 2000. "Bolivia - Movimiento de la Izquierda Revolucionaria-Nueva Mayoría (MIR-NM)." [Accessed 8 Mar. 2001]

Political Database of the Americas, Georgetown University, Washington, DC. 1998. Bolivia/Political Parties. [Accessed 8 Mar. 2001]

La República [Lima]. 26 June 1997. "Perú y Bolivia coordinarán acciones contra el terrorismo." [Accessed 8 Mar. 2001]

Los Tiempos [Cochabamba, in Spanish]. 18 May 1996. "Bolivia: Sanchez Denies Government 'Plotting' in Narco-Links Affair." (FBIS-TDD-96-019-L 18 May 1996/WNC)

Tierra Lejana. 23 December 1998. "Los errores se pagan también como delitos." [Accessed 9 Mar. 2001]

Weekly News Update on the Americas [New York]. 29 December 1996. No. 361. "Did Uruguay Swap Prisoners for Hostage Ambassador?" [Accessed 9 Mar. 2001]

Additional Sources Consulted

Amnesty International (AI). Amnesty International Report 1993-1999

IRB databases.

Latin American Regional Reports: Andean Group Report (LARR). 1993-2001.

Latin American Weekly Report (LAWR) [London]. 1995-2001.

LEXIS-NEXIS.

Internet sites including:

Amnesty International.

Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos.

Human Rights Watch.

Inter-American Human Rights Database.

World News Connection (WNC)