Image copyright Reuters Image caption Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, 87, moved to the US soon after the protests were violently suppressed

A jury in the United States has found Bolivian ex-President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada responsible for the deaths of dozens of protesters in 2003.

His then Defence Minister, Carlos Sánchez, was also found responsible in the civil lawsuit. Their lawyers said they would appeal against the decision.

The plaintiffs accused the two men of ordering the Bolivian military to use force to break up the 2003 protests.

The victims' families were awarded $10m (£7m) in damages.

The families welcomed the decision saying it gave them "great satisfaction". They also expressed the hope that it would not be overturned on appeal.

The case was brought under a law that permits civil suits in US courts for extrajudicial killings.

'October massacre'

The lawsuit was brought by eight families whose loved ones died during protests against plans to export natural gas from Bolivia to the US.

At least 67 people were killed and more than 400 people were injured when soldiers opened fire during the protests in the city of El Alto, near La Paz.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The army was sent out to quell the protests

Five former top military officers and two former ministers were sentenced to jail over what is known as the "October massacre" in 2011.

Bolivia has long been seeking the extradition of Mr Sánchez de Lozada and Mr Sánchez, who moved to the US shortly after the violent suppression of the protests.

The protests against his free-market policies, including the planned export of Bolivian natural gas, prompted Mr Sánchez de Lozada's resignation only one year into his five-year term.

His successor in office, Carlos Mesa, called a referendum on how best to exploit the country's huge natural gas reserves in order to defuse the protests.

An overwhelming majority voted in favour of the state regaining control over the gas sector, which had been opened up to private investors, and against exporting natural gas. </s> (MIAMI) — A U.S. jury on Tuesday found a former president of Bolivia and his defense minister responsible for killings by security forces during 2003 unrest in the South American nation, awarding $10 million in damages in a lawsuit filed by Bolivians whose relatives were among the slain.

The jury verdict came Tuesday after a nearly three-week trial of the civil suit in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The jury found against former Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, and his former defense minister, Jose Carlos Sanchez Berzain. Both have been living in the U.S. after fleeing Bolivia in 2003.

Lawyers for the two former officials vowed to seek to have the verdict overturned.

In the lawsuit originally filed in 2007, relatives of eight Bolivians who died claimed the two officials planned to kill thousands of civilians to crush political opposition during a time of civil unrest known as the “Gas War.” The lawsuit was filed under the Torture Victim Protection Act, which authorizes suits in the U.S. for extrajudicial killings.

The unrest erupted in the fall of 2003 as street protests in Bolivia over use of the country’s vast natural gas reserves boiled over. Demonstrators threw up street blockades of flaming debris and rubble in several places including on the outskirts of the capital of La Paz, and violent clashes between police and security forces with the civilian protesters turned deadly at times.

At times, government forces intent on clearing street barricades fired on demonstrators, mainly in the El Alto municipality adjacent to La Paz, leading to deaths. Other fatalities were reported in confrontations between security forces and Bolivian miners marching to the capital in support of the protesters. Many of the civilian victims were indigenous Aymara Bolivians.

The unrest marked the decline of traditional political parties in that nation and the rise of new leaders including Evo Morales, a populist leader of coca growers who later became Bolivia’s first indigenous president. Now in his third term, Morales tweeted praise late Tuesday for the “perseverance” of those who pressed suit, saying they’ve obtained a court decision that “draws us ever closer to justice” in the case.

“After many years of fighting for justice for our family members and the people of Bolivia, we celebrate this historic victory,” said plaintiff Tefilo Baltazar Cerro, whose pregnant wife was killed by a bullet fired through the wall of a house. He added in an emailed statement: “Fifteen years after they fled justice, we have finally held Sanchez de Lozada and Sanchez Berzain to account for the massacre they unleashed against our people.”

The jury found the former officials responsible because they had ordered the military to use deadly force in the confrontations.

“The plaintiffs demonstrated immense courage in relentlessly pursuing justice for over a decade,” said Judith Chomsky, a Center for Constitutional Rights attorney for the plaintiffs. “They have set an example for anyone fighting for accountability for human rights abuses worldwide.”

Attorneys for the two ex-officials said they have asked the judge for a ruling that would essentially overturn the jury verdict for legal reasons, which will continue the case for the time being. An appeal is also possible.

“We disagree with the jury’s verdict and believe that the proof was so lacking that the case never should have gotten to a jury,” said attorney Steve Raber in an email statement. “We trust the process and believe that the verdict will be overturned when the law is correctly applied.”

The defense had contended that the civilian deaths were more a product of crossfire than intentional killings and that the government was simply responding to a crisis. Authorities say at least 64 people died and more than 400 others were injured in the violence that year.

Sanchez de Lozada was president of Bolivia twice, serving the first term from August 1993 until August 1997 and again from August 2002 until October 2003. Sanchez Berzain was defense minister in the second term. </s> Rodolfo Illanes, the deputy minister of interior, was killed Thursday in Panduro, where he was meeting with miners who had been striking and blockading roads since August 10, according to the attorney general's office.

Three miners have died since the beginning of the protests, state-run ABI reported. The miners are protesting for their right to work directly with private companies.

Bolivian President Evo Morales described the deputy minister as "a hero of natural resources" and declared three days of national mourning.

"It was a cowardly act -- he was kidnapped, tortured and killed," Morales said. "It's unforgivable, and I don't understand how our brothers can hurt us in such a way."

Five people, including a leader representing miners, were arrested Friday in relation to the killing. An additional 40 miners are under investigation. Orlando Gutiérrez, president of the Mine Workers Federation of Bolivia, condemned the killing, ABI reported. The autopsy report indicates Illanes was tortured for six to seven hours, and suffered strikes all over his body, according to Ramiro Guerrero, the attorney general of Bolivia. He also had multiple broken ribs and puncturing of his skull, Guerrero said in a statement. Authorities also found "a large quantity of explosives," some buried underground in the area where Illanes' body was recovered. Panduro is about 150 km (93 miles) from La Paz. </s> Colombia's President Ivan Duque says the leader of a rebel dissident group believed responsible for the murders of three Ecuadorian press workers is dead.

Duque announced in a televised address Friday evening that Walter Arizala has been killed. The man known by the alias Guacho was one of the nation's most wanted fugitives.

Authorities say his holdout faction of rebels from the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia is behind a wave of violence rattling communities in southern Colombia.

Duque provided no details on how Arizala was killed other than to say he died in a "heroic operation" by the military and police.

The president added that many Colombians "can now sleep peacefully because one of the most horrendous criminals our country has ever known has fallen." </s> LA PAZ (Reuters) - Bolivian Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes was beaten to death after he was kidnapped by striking mine workers on Thursday, the government said, and up to 100 people have been arrested as authorities vowed to punish those responsible.

“At this present time, all the indications are that our deputy minister Rodolfo Illanes has been brutally and cowardly murdered,” Minister of Government Carlos Romero said in broadcast comments.

He said Illanes had gone to talk to protesters earlier on Thursday in Panduro, around 100 miles from the capital, La Paz, but was intercepted and kidnapped by striking miners.

The government was trying to recover his body, Romero said, in a case that has shocked Bolivians.

Defense Minister Reymi Ferreira broke down on television as he described how Illanes, appointed to his post in March, had apparently been “beaten and tortured to death.”

Illanes’ assistant had escaped and was being treated in a hospital in La Paz, he said.

“This crime will not go unpunished. Authorities are investigating … around 100 people have been arrested,” Ferreira said.

Protests by miners in Bolivia demanding changes to laws turned violent this week after a highway was blockaded. Two workers were killed on Wednesday after shots were fired by police. The government said 17 police officers had been wounded.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of leftist President Evo Morales, began what they said would be an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed.

Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions with less stringent environmental rules, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation.

The vast majority of miners in Bolivia, one of South America’s poorest countries, work in cooperatives, scraping a living producing silver, tin and zinc. There are few foreign-owned mining firms, unlike in neighboring Peru and Chile.

Natural gas accounts for roughly half of Bolivia’s total exports. Ex-coca grower Morales nationalized Bolivia’s resources sector after taking power in 2006, initially winning plaudits for plowing the profits into welfare programs and boosting development.

However, his government has been dogged by accusations of cronyism and authoritarianism in recent years, and even the unions who were once his core support have soured on him as falling prices have crimped spending. </s> Bolivian miners on Thursday during a clash with the police in the town of Panduro hacked the Deputy Interior Minister to death. Interior Minister, Carlos Romero, confirmed on Friday that reports by witnesses indicated that the 55-year-old was beaten to death following clashes between police and miners in the town of Panduro, 165 kilometres south-east of La Paz.

Romero said Illanes had been kidnapped by miners after attempting to initiate talks with them at a roadblock. The minister, who spoke of a “cowardly and brutal” murder, added that his aide was also injured and was taken to hospital.

He said that one miner was reportedly also killed in the Thursday’s clashes, bringing the death toll in several days of protests against controversial trade union legislation to three.

“Two miners were killed on Wednesday. “Around 100 miners were detained after Thursday’s protests,’’ he said. Miners currently represented by independently organized cooperatives have been using street blockades to protest against a law allowing them to join trade unions.

The national federation of mining cooperatives (Fencomin) representing some 10,000 miners rejects any trade union influence on Bolivia’s mining sector. </s> Image copyright Ministerio de Gobierno de Bolivia Image caption Mr Illanes was reportedly beaten to death after being seized by protesters

The Bolivian government says its deputy interior minister has been kidnapped and killed by striking miners.

Rodolfo Illanes and his bodyguard were seized earlier on Thursday at a roadblock in Panduro, south of La Paz, official said.

Interior Minister Carlos Romero said "all indications" were that Mr Illanes had been murdered in a "cowardly and brutal" attack.

Two miners also died from gunshot wounds during clashes with police.

Mr Illanes was beaten to death at about 18:00 local time (00:00 GMT), La Razon newspaper quoted Defence Minister Reymi Ferreira as saying.

The authorities could not for the moment retrieve his body, the minister said. More than 100 arrests had been made, he said.

President Evo Morales had been "profoundly affected" by Mr Illanes's death, Mr Ferreira added.

While he was being held, Mr Illanes told Bolivian radio that a condition for his release was that the government negotiate with miners over new legislation.

The miners have been blocking a highway in Panduro since Tuesday.

The National Federation of Mining Co-operatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of President Morales, began what they said would be an indefinite protest after negotiations failed.

Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation.

Image copyright AP Image caption Miners have been clashing with police over proposed legislation

Image copyright AP Image caption Police have been using tear gas

Image copyright EPA Image caption Two miners were killed by live fire on Thursday

Image copyright AP Image caption Police have been attempting to remove the protesters </s> LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Striking Bolivian miners kidnapped and beat to death the country’s deputy interior minister in a shocking spasm of violence following weeks of tension over dwindling paychecks in a region hit hard by falling metal prices. The miners were demanding they be allowed to work for private companies, who promise to put more cash in their pockets.

The issue has bedeviled President Evo Morales, who began as a champion of the working class and privatized the nation’s mining industry, only to see his support crater amid the downturn. Miners say Morales has become a shill of the rich, and done little to help them make ends meet as the economy slows.

Deputy Minister Rodolfo Illanes, whose formal title is vice minister of the interior regime, had traveled Thursday to the scene of the violent protests in an effort to negotiate with the strikers who armed themselves with dynamite and seized several highways.

Instead, Illanes was “savagely beaten” to death by miners, Defense Minister Reymi Ferreira told Red Uno television, his voice breaking.

Prosecutor Edwin Blanco Friday said an autopsy showed that Illanes died from trauma to the brain and thorax.

Government Minister Carlos Romero on Thursday called it a “cowardly and brutal killing.”

Earlier in the day, Romero had said that Illanes had been kidnapped and possibly tortured, but wasn’t able to confirm reports that he had been killed by the striking informal miners, who were demanding the right to associate with private companies, among other issues.

“This is a political conspiracy,” Morales said at a news conference on Friday. Calling for three days of official mourning, he criticized the “cowardly attitude” of the protesters and insisted that his government had “always been open” to negotiation.

The fatal beating came after the killings of two protesters in clashes with police, deaths that likely fueled the tensions.

Illanes had gone to Panduro, 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of the La Paz, to open a dialogue with the striking miners, who have blockaded a highway there since Monday. Thousands of passengers and vehicles are stranded on roads blocked by the strikers.

Officials say he was taken hostage by the miners on Thursday morning. At midday, Illanes said on his Twitter account: “My health is fine, my family can be calm.” There are reports that he had heart problems.

Bolivia’s informal or artisan miners number about 100,000 and work in self-managed cooperatives. They want to be able to associate with private companies, but are currently prohibited from doing so. The government argues that if they associate with multinational companies they will no longer be cooperatives.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, strong allies of Morales when metal prices were high, was organized in the 1980s amid growing unemployment in the sector that followed the closure of state mines.

Federation members went on an indefinite protest after negotiations over the mining legislation failed. </s> A Bolivian government minister has been beaten to death by striking mineworkers after being kidnapped, the government said.



Rodolf Illanes, deputy interior minister, had gone to talk to protesting workers on Thursday in Panduro, around 160km (100 miles) from the capital, La Paz, but was intercepted and kidnapped.

“At this present time, all the indications are that our deputy minister Rodolfo Illanes has been brutally and cowardly assassinated,” minister of government Carlos Romero said in broadcast comments. The government was trying to recover his body, Romero said.

Reymi Ferreira, the defence minister, said that Illanes had been “savagely beaten” to death by the striking miners.

He broke down on television as he described how Illanes, appointed to his post in March, had apparently been “beaten and tortured to death”. Illanes’ assistant had escaped and was being treated in a hospital in La Paz, he said.

“This crime will not go unpunished. Authorities are investigating ... around 100 people have been arrested,” Ferreira said.

Moises Flores, the director of a mining radio station, later told local radio: “We have been able to see close up that vice-minister Illanes was dead. Colleagues told us that he had died of a beating.”

Protests by miners in Bolivia demanding changes to laws turned violent this week after a highway was blockaded. Two workers were killed on Wednesday after being shot by police, and the government said 17 police officers had been wounded.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia (Fencomin), once a strong ally of the leftwing president, Evo Morales, began what it said would be an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed.

Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation.

The vast majority of miners in Bolivia, one of South America’s poorest countries, work in cooperatives, scraping a living producing silver, tin and zinc. There are few foreign-owned mining firms, unlike in neighboring Peru and Chile.

Natural gas accounts for roughly half of Bolivia’s total exports. Morales, a former coca grower, nationalised Bolivia’s resources sector after taking power in 2006, initially winning plaudits for ploughing the profits into welfare programs and boosting development.

But his government has been dogged by accusations of cronyism and authoritarianism in recent years, and even the unions who were once his core support have soured on him as falling prices have crimped spending.
Former President of Bolivia, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, is found responsible of the death of 60 demonstrators during protests in October 2003.