‘Pinochet-Style Dictatorship’ in Bolivia

Article originally published by Common Dream

As indigenous-led protests against the military coup that ousted Evo Morales continued in the streets of Bolivia over the weekend in the face of violent repression by police forces, the government of self-declared Interim President Jeanine Añez on Sunday announced the creation of a “special apparatus” to arrest elected lawmakers from the majority Movement for Socialism party.

The Bolivian newspaper Los Tiempos reported that government minister Arturo Murillo announced plans Sunday to publish a “list” of leftist lawmakers he said are guilty of “subversion.” Last week, Murillo vowed to “go hunting” for Morales’ former top minister Juan Ramón Quintana, who has been forced into hiding.

In response, journalist Ben Norton said the Bolivian government is behaving like a “Pinochet-style dictatorship.”

“Bolivia’s far-right coup regime is become more authoritarian and murderous by the day,” Norton tweeted Sunday.

Murillo’s announcement came just days after the coup government’s communications minister, Roxana Lizárraga, threatened to arrest journalists and members of the media “involved in sedition”  . . .