Israel Matzav

Hunger strike in Bolivia against Ahmadinejad visit

A lone hunger striker is wandering around Bolivia in protest against the visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Carlos Aliaga Uria, dressed in a black poncho with the yellow Star of David on the front, holds a poster that translates: “Ahmadinejad Denier of History and the Holocaust Get Out of Bolivia.”

Aliaga began his hunger strike in La Paz to protest the November 24^th visit of the Iranian president. Aliaga said:

Recently Angela Merkel, the German president, admitted to the horrors committed by her country during the Nazi period, which claimed the lives of 6,000,000 Jews. Ahmadinejad denies this historical fact. Ahmadinejad can visit Venezuela, Brazil or even the moon, that doesn’t interest me; however, he should be prohibited from visiting Bolivia. He shouldn’t be allowed to come here, not just because this is my country, but because Bolivia was the only country on this continent that authorized visas throughout WWII to more than 7,000 Jews who escaped from the Nazi terror.

Aliaga proclaimed an “ambulatory” hunger strike because he is worried about being harassed or arrested for his protest. During the last six months, there have been many arbitrary arrests without due process. It is important that the Evo Morales government abides by the law. Instead, it is intentionally subverting the institutions in the judiciary branch. The Supreme Court, which should have 12 voting members, is now down to six and is without a quorum. This is just the latest attempt to paralyze the Bolivian judicial system.

Read the whole thing. It seems that the only country in Latin America that's still in the West's court is Argentina - ironic because Israel is full or Argentinean olim who fled their country in the 1970's during the Peron era.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:25 AM