Former Bolivian President Gonzalo Saáchez de Lozada is being sued in a U.S. court on behalf of relatives of victims of a massacre four years ago. The conflict arose following a decision by the Sánchez de Lozada government to export Bolivia’s natural gas through a port in Chile. When hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in protest, government forces responded with soldiers and tanks, killing 67 of the protesters and wounding more than 400. Sonia Espejos lost her husband in the crackdown.
Sonia Espejos: “They are the only ones who are responsible for what we have to suffer here in Bolivia but we are not going to allow Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada to tour the United States.”
De Lozada and two former top officials have resided in the U.S. since 2003 after a citizens’ uprising removed them from office.