Jorge Martín writes

Hands Off Venezuela Peru Organiser Jailed in Bolivia

Cesar Zelada is a well known student activist in Peru. He is also a member of the Fuerza de Izquierda Socialista, a left wing group, and the organiser of the Hands off Venezuela campaign in Peru.

He was in Bolivia as part of a delegation of Peruvian student activists invited by the Youth wing of the Bolivian Workers' Union (COB - the Bolivian TUC) to show solidarity with the struggle of the Peruvian students, particularly those at the
Oruro Technical University.He was arrested on September 14th, in the capital La Paz. He was strip searched and handcuffed by the PTJ police and then questioned without having access to a lawyer. He is being kept in jail in the San Pedro Penal, in La Paz. When making the case against him at the hearing, the prosecutor alleged that he was in possession of explosives, had lied about his address in Bolivia and was carrying "Marxist propaganda" with the aim of "subversion".

Clearly the accusation is false, but is part of a more general campaign of the government to criminalise the movement of Bolivian workers and students and brand them as "terrorists" with connections with foreign "narco-terrorist" groups.

The accusations against him could land him a jail sentence of between 3 and 6 years. A well coordinated high profile international solidarity campaign has already been launched and has received support world wide.

The latest high profile message come from a number of prominent Euro MPs and raises some very interesting questions about the role of the US in repression in Bolivia. The English translation and an original image of the letter can be found here.

You can send protest messages to:

Ministerio del Interior de Bolivia:

vicemingob@mingobierno.gov.bo

Al Presidente de la Nación, Carlos Mesa:

webmaster@presidencia.gov.bo

with copies and solidarity messages to:

solidaridadconcesarzelada@yahoo.com

A list of Bolivian embassies around the world can be found here.