Waldo Albarracín
Waldo Albarracín is a well established and widely recognised human rights defender in Bolivia. He was the President of the Permanent Assembly of Human Rights of Bolivia (APDHB) from 1992 to 2003 and the Bolivian Ombudsman from 2004 to 2010. Until the beginning of 2020 he was the Rector of Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in La Paz and is currently the President of the National Committee for the Defence of Democracy (CONADE), a civil platform defending political rights.
The environment for human rights defenders in any sector in Bolivia can be quite hostile. Human rights defenders face continuous attacks, threats and acts of intimidation in the country. The lack of response from the government is particularly worrisome and organisations – especially those which work to denounce human rights violations and abuses by the State – have suffered constant harassment and stigmatisation. Civil society has also denounced the lack of actions taken by the Bolivian State in the search for truth, justice and reparation for the serious human rights violations committed during the 18 years of military rule.
