U.S. Threatens Bolivia in Effort to Secure Criminal Court Immunity

Today the Pacific News Service published an article that I co-wrote with Luis Bredow, a veteran Bolivian journalist. The article looks at the efforts of the US to pressure Bolivia to adopt an immunity pact shielding US soldiers and officials from prosecution before the International Criminal Court.

The article includes an interview that I did with the US Embassy and a look at similar US efforts around the world.

Here is the link and the lead. Take a look if you are interested.

U.S. Threatens Bolivia in Effort to Secure Criminal Court Immunity

The U.S. government is demanding that the Bolivian Congress approve an agreement that would grant immunity to U.S. troops and officials accused of human rights violations, exempting them from prosecution by the International Criminal Court. That effort, which includes a threat to withhold financial aid and access to free trade, seems to be backfiring.

Bolivia is one of 139 nations that have signed the Treaty of Rome, which set up the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 1998. A respected Bolivian judge, Renee Blattmann, also sits as a member of the court. The treaty's goal, according to its Preamble, "is to establish an independent permanent International Criminal Court with jurisdiction over the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole."