SOA Watch Activists Meet with Bolivian President Evo Morales

Eleven days ago, School of the Americas Watch members set off on a three-week journey to Bolivia, Argentina and Uruguay to build relationships with social movements and to convince popular governments in South America to stop sending their soldiers to train at the School of the Americas, a school synonymous with torture and responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

We are happy to share the good news with you that Monday morning, three SOA Watch activists met with the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales!

President Morales listened intensely as Carlos, Lisa and Fr. Roy explained the history of the School of the Americas (SOA) and its role in Bolivia. The three also spoke of Fr. Roy’s personal history here in Bolivia during SOA grad Hugo Banzer’s dictatorship when Roy was tortured, imprisoned and expelled from the country. Lisa, Carlos and Roy formally requested that Bolivia remove its troops from the SOA. President Morales’s interest gave the three great hope as they left the meeting to journey to Uruguay.

Read more about this victory at: http://www.soaw.org/new/article.php?id=1287

Background Info about the SOA/WHINSEC: http://www.soaw.org/new/type.php?type=8

On April 23-25, ICPJ members will be in Washington to lobby our elected representatives to close this institution that has trained so many human rights abusers in Latin America.  You can help our efforts by calling your senators and representative and tell them how critical it is that Congress take a real stand for human rights by supporting HR 1217, the bill to close and investigate the SOA/ WHINSEC.

For a sample call script, visit: http://www.soaw.org/new/article.php?id=1285

To join ICPJ’s trip to Washington, call Chuck at 734-663-1870 or email chuck@icpj.net