The International Secretariat of Amnesty International publishes its own website, with country specific news and campaigns. Do check out the Bolivia page.
Amnesty’s 2025 report on Bolivia (published April 2026)
Amnesty International’s 2025 report on Bolivia highlights that environmental defenders faced attacks, persecution and criminalization. Deforestation, wildfires and mining generated pollution and endangered human rights, especially for Indigenous Peoples. Detainees suffered overcrowding and insecurity. There was a risk of impunity in connection with massacres. Feminicides and infanticides were recorded.
Significant Events from Newsletters 2025
September 2026
Human Rights Watch have reported the publication by the Bolivian Government of two decrees in early August that threaten the right to freedom of association and the work of human rights defenders. One decree states that non-governmental organisations must register with the Vice-Ministry of Public Investment and External Financing before undertaking any project involving “technical or financial cooperation”, regardless of the source of funding. The same Vice-Ministry will be charged with evaluating whether the organisation’s objectives align with the “country’s development plans”. If it deems them unaligned, the Vice-Ministry can order unspecified “corrective measures”.
August 2026
Protests have intensified in Bolivia over government plans to open protected areas and Indigenous territories to mining and agribusiness, with communities warning of deforestation and land dispossession. Protesters cite oil exploration by the Brazilian oil company Petrobras in the Tariquía National Reserve as an example of these concerns. Petrobras is reported to have pursued legal action against activists opposing its operations in late 2025, while the company maintains that the project has environmental approval and meets legal requirements.
June 2026
In response to a growing wave of protests, the Bolivia Congress has eliminated restrictions on the president’s powers to take emergency measures to deploy the army and curb some liberties, including freedom of movement and assembly. The protests are in response to policies introduced by the government to resolve Bolivia’s economic crisis. Protesters have blockaded entry routes into La Paz, shops have shuttered for fear of violence, and food, medicine and fuel supplies are running low. Critics say the removal of the restrictions puts human rights at risk.
July 2025
The UN human rights office has called for an “impartial and thorough” investigation into the deaths of six people during clashes between police and supporters of former president Evo Morales that have deepened Bolivia’s political and economic crisis, heightening tensions just two months before the presidential election. More than 300 have also been injured in weeks of unrest. The dead include four police officers, one of whom was reportedly killed by dynamite which had been strapped to his body.
Significant Events from Newsletters 2024
July 2024
Following reports of a failed coup attempt in Bolivia, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk expressed deep concern at the news, calling on Bolivian authorities, including the armed forces, to ensure full respect for human rights under all circumstances, protect the constitutional order and maintain peace. He urged the authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into allegations of violence and reports of injuries, for those responsible to be held to account and those detained in relation to the events to receive fair trials.
April 2024
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has published a report Social Cohesion: The Challenge to Consolidate Democracy in Bolivia of the human rights situation in the country, based on observations conducted during the IACHR’s on-site visit in March 2023. The report notes that Bolivia has undergone major social changes since 2006, with an emphasis on reducing inequality for groups that have traditionally been neglected by the State. However, implementation has faced challenges that prevent full enforcement of constitutionally recognised human rights.