Bolivian Minister of the Presidency Juan Ramon Quintana (C) receives the remains of Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes, at the Government Palace, in La Paz, Bolivia, on August 26, 2016.
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President Evo Morales spoke at a press conference on Friday morning, calling Illanes’ murder “unforgivable” and ordering three days of mourning. The miners allowed Illanes to go live on the radio as proof of life while also making it clear they had no intent to let him go unless the government would work on new laws to expand miners’ rights.
“The cause of death was basically bleeding in the brain. Ribs were also broken”, Blanco told reporters.
At least two miners were killed and 17 police injured earlier this week, authorities said, after they clashed when the protesters blocked the highway. Rather than listen to Illanes, miners took he and his bodyguard hostage at a roadblock.
“The prices of minerals have gone down and the costs of production have increased”, he said.
The influential National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, a strong ally of Morales in years when metals were more valuable, was organized in the 1980s amid growing unemployment in the sector that followed the closure of state mines. There has also been a long demonstration by disabled people who demanded a raise to their government subsidies. No-one has yet been charged for the killing.
Morales, an ex-coca grower, nationalized Bolivia’s resources sector after taking power in 2006, initially winning plaudits for plowing the profits into welfare programs.
In recent years, Morales’ administration has been criticized for authoritarian behavior and corruption. Some workers have soured on him as falling commodity prices have crimped spending.
However, the miners, who were striking to demand more mining concessions and less regulation, chose to lift their protest in order to avoid further clashes.
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Political violence is not unknown in Bolivia, one of South America’s poorest countries.
