DCDD has read with great concern reports that police used excessive force against people with disabilities during various demonstration in La Paz and elsewhere in Bolivia over a period of several months.
While DCDD understands the protestors used violence themselves as well, we believe the violence used by the security forces was excessive and unnecessary and was the result of the fact that Bolivia’s disabled do not feel heard by the authorities on decisions concerning them. We believe the authorities should ensure that Bolivia’s people with disabilities are consulted on any proposed law affecting them. Any measure must fulfill their needs as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
That’s why we sent a letter to the Bolivian Embassy in the Netherlands, and a copy to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Dutch Embassy in Peru and the Consulate in Bolivia, to express our concerns and to call for an independent investigation.
More about the protests of people with disabilities in Bolivia >>
