Impunity for the U.S.

The decision to grant impunity to U.S. nationals in Bolivia was confusing to me. It was a law that was approved in 2003, that is being supported by Mesa to revisit and ultimately approve in 2004. I imagine that the U.S. was conditioning its financial support with pushing this agreement through.

Amnesty International gives a good recap why this law is inconsistent with the global view on impunity.

"These agreements are illegal as they violate Bolivia's duty to cooperate with the International Criminal Court and the obligations of all states to ensure that people responsible for these crimes, as the most serious crimes under international law, are brought to justice," Amnesty International stressed.

Neighboring countries, Argentina, Brasil, Peru and Paraguay have all refused to sign similar agreements.

What struck me odd was the timing of the annoucement. At a time where Iraqi prison abuse images dominate the media, impunity for the U.S. in Bolivia seems like a poor choice of timing.