Human rights groups claim that during Banzer's 1971-78 tenure (known as the Banzerato) several thousand Bolivians sought asylum in foreign countries, 3,000 political opponents were arrested, 200 were killed, and many more were tortured.
Kelompok-kelompok pembela hak-hak asasi manusia mengklaim bahwa pada masa pemerintahan Banzer tahun 1971-1978 dan konsolidasi kekuasaannya (yang dikenal sebagai banzerato) beberapa ribu orang Bolivia meminta perlindungan di negara-negara asing, 3.000 lawan politik ditangkap, dan 200 orang dibunuh.