Months ago the Bolivian government issued a formal order for President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada to return to Bolivia to give testimony regarding his potential prosecution for murder. The charges relate to his government’s repression during 2002 that left dozens dead, hundreds wounded, and eventually forced his ouster from office.
Well, for months, the US departments of State and Justice have failed to meet their legal requirement to serve the Sanchez de Lozada the legal order sent by the Bolivian Attorney General. Perhaps the US bureaucracy lost it. Perhaps they just couldn't find the former President's house in Washington.
On Monday the President of Bolivia Human Rights Assembly and the organization representing Sanchez de Lozada's victims sent a fax to Secretary of State Rice and US Attorney General Gonzales, letting them know that Sanchez de Lozada was scheduled to make an appearance last night at a Princeton University event in Washington. When US officials failed to show up to do the job, two US activists, Sara Grusky and Doug Hertzler formally served Sanchez de Lozada the formal papers.
Here are photos of Sanchez de Lozada receiving those documents last night.