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ACTION OF IMMEDIATE WITNESS
TITLE: SUPPORT BOLIVIAN UUS STRUGGLING FOR JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
BECAUSE: Bolivian Olga Flores Bedregal helped found a UU congregation in La Paz then with two colleagues, engaged in a month-long hunger strike to force the Bolivian Government to account for the “disappeared,” including Olga’s brother. These women’s brave campaign caused the passage of a government Resolution that called for military archives to be opened.
WHEREAS: These are important steps forward in the struggle to obtain justice for the “disappeared” and their families, but issues still exist. As Olga Flores has said,”A Resolution is not binding and does not guarantee answers or justice. It must be reinforced. Unless UUs increase our support through action--contacting international organizations using the Internet and the media, the Bolivian Government—a fragile democracy—may bow to the wishes of a recalcitrant military and allow the Resolution to die. Bolivian Law, specifically the Inter-American Convention Forced Disappearance of Persons Act, and Law No. 2640 which requires compensation to victims of political violence during the military regimes, could be ignored. Information, return of remains, and justice could still be denied to Olga and her compatriots.
WHEREAS: A small network of UUs around the world put pressure on the Bolivian Government. Our values and beliefs and creatively involving as many others as possible, may in fact impact our world for the better. Olga is no longer isolated, but she is only in the early stages of a journey toward justice and human rights in her country.
WHEREAS: The Organization of American States’ Human Rights Commission is considering sanctions. President Evo Morales is sensitive to international pressure and opinion. There is a groundswell that needs the involvement by UUs at this 2009 General Assembly to take action.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That those in attendance at this General Assembly are encouraged to speak out against civil and human rights violations by governments in Latin America but also to monitor whether governments ignore such abuses;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That we support the petition of the human rights activists in Latin America for declassification of pertinent materials and investigation of information about human rights violations; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED: That those in attendance at the 2009 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association support the petition in Bolivia to structure the Truth Commission to investigate, clarify, and judge all suspected human rights violations.
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