October 2003 Massacres in Bolivia

Last updated July 2024

In September and October 2003, Bolivian state forces massacred Indigenous protestors and community members, killing dozens and injuring hundreds. Following the killings, the former president of Bolivia, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, and the former Minister of Defense, Carlos Sánchez Berzaín, fled to the United States. In 2007, nine family members brought a case, Mamani v. Sánchez de Lozada, against the two officials for their roles in the massacres. In 2018, a jury found both officials liable for the extrajudicial killings of the plaintiffs’ family members. For the next five years, the case was in appeals.

In September 2023, on the 20th anniversary of the massacres, the parties reached a settlement that compensated the victims and upheld the verdict. The historic case not only marks the first time a head of state has had to face his accusers in a U.S. court; it also creates precedent that can be used to hold other heads of state accountable for egregious rights abuses. Students at UNHR have worked on the case over several semesters.