Evo’s New General: César López and the October Insurrection
Luis A. Gómez
June 22, 2007
La Paz - Ex-military officer and current Minister of the Presidency Juan Ramón Quintana says that César López is his very close friend and a military officer with a stainless record. Similarly, during the January 13th ceremony in which López was named “interim executive President” of the National Custom’s Office, President Evo Morales spoke of López’s transparency and honesty. It was just a few days later that the denouncements about his participation in the massacre against the Bolivian people in September and October 2003 began to surface. And it was then that the debate began.
There are of course many versions of the story. But there is one indisputable reality: ex-General López was the Chief of the Army in 2003, under the command of ex-General Juan Véliz who has charges pending in the trial against ex-President Sánchez de Lozada and his collaborators for the death of more than 60 civilians, including young children. That is to say, as the principle operating officer in his section of the Armed Forces, López had to have know what would happen when unarmed people were ordered killed during what’s known as the “Gas War”.
Or not? Minister Quintana doesn’t think so, and has stated that there is testimony that proved that “in the most difficult days of October 2003, [López] was with his people.” Where was he?, asks this correspondent who covered the mobilizations against Sánchez de Lozada from within. Accompanied by current Vice-President Alvaro García Linera at almost every moment, we never saw General López. So it would be great if the Minister of the Presidency would provide the mentioned testimonies, that is if he does really believe his close friend.
The Relatives’ Lawsuit
It would also be great if López would share what he knows about those turbulent days with the rest of us. At least that’s what the relatives of the killed in October 2003 say according to their public statement that we published a few days ago. In the text signed by the Coordinating Committee for the Trail Against Sánchez de Lozada, it is clear that the ex-General has no charges pending, but that López has refused to come forward and give sworn statements regarding the events. For this reason, Attorney General Mario Uribe put a warrant out for his arrest on December 7, 2006.
The Committee’s statement explains that the testimony César López refuses to give would serve to “determine the extent of his responsibility in the massacre, his possible processing or his exoneration.” This doesn’t seem to bother President Evo Morales, who since last Wednesday has said that naming López was his decision and that to make that decision he consulted various of people such as Vice-President and Vice-Minister Sacha Llorenti. Indeed, Llorenti was a member of the group that began the legal process on behalf of the 2003 victims in his prior role as President of Bolivia’s Permanent Assembly on Human Rights. But in the end, López is now head Custom’s agent.
To clarify the situation, we spoke with Dr. Rogelio Mayta, legal coordinator and of the Committee and the relative’s representative. Mayta explained that even though military law clearly explains César López’s functions as Army Chief in 2003, neither Mayta nor those he represents are demanding his resignation. Rather, they want explanations. “We have already said it in our statement: it’s the government that has to explain why they designated this man,” Mayta concluded.
Tired yet of the Minister of the Presidency’s declarations? Because Juan Ramón Quintana has said that he’s known this friend since he studied in Military School—during two years when César López was in charge of the institution. Quintana was even a witness at his wedding. You make the call.
Chachapumas in Conflict
“Chachapumas” is a mythic Andean nickname—and is the label given to Bolivian Army’s elite anti-terrorist group. This unit enters into the debacle as well: an official document released by the Combined Anti-Terrorist Task Force implicates César López in possible attacks on media outlets and the arrest of several social movement leaders in October 2003. The report’s author says that López gave the order. Another another official—a former Chachapumas member—denies the document’s validity and affirms that López had nothing to do with the incidents. Either way, the report remains part of the case files in the trial against Sánchez de Lozada.
Obviously, the government ratifying of César López brought on a rightwing attack. A Senator from the opposition party Podemos has been the most outspoken. Wálter Guiteras has gone near and far talking about military repressors—as if the Bolivian people didn’t know that Guiteras was Minister of Government for General Hugo Banzer Suárez and that, as such, was behind many of the repressive acts that killed coca growers in the Chapare and Aymara community members and that he was key in the repression during the 2000 Water War in Cochabamba.
“You see?,” Rogelio Mayta affirmed. “The best thing to do is not become part of the [political party] game. We maintain our demand that López come forward now more than ever. This ex-officer who says he was not involved in the October [2003] events must make a sworn statement.” Lieutenant Colonel Rory Rodríguez is the name of the anti-terrorist angel who says that César López is innocent.
Before finishing our conversation with Mayta, we pointed out to him that López’s defense attorney says that this all has to do with revenge. We still don’t know exactly what the lawyer is defending López of, but he happens to be the same lawyer (Gonzalo Valenzuela) who defended the current Armed Forces leadership against Dr. Rogelio Mayta when they refused to lift the military confidentiality classification to help in the case against Sánchez de Lozada. Curious, don’t you think? Because López is no longer an officer.
“Sure. Could be,” Mayta responded. “But as I said: if the government says that we are living in times of change, they must explain all of this to the people.” And he is right, because this correspondent has no explanation for why the Government palace is defending César López so much. Do you?
This article appeared originally in Ukhampacha Bolivia.
