Anyone who reads the first comments posted here ("It is wrong to include") and ("Not misinformed at all") should be aware that they are full of fallacies trying justify grave human rights abuses in light of current events such as the election of Evo Morales to the presidency or the Government's review of contracts with transnationals operating in the country.

The facts are these:

1) Following orders from "Goni", the army and police opened fire against hundreds of unarmed civilians in the streets of La Paz and in neighboring communities in 2003, killing more than fifty people, including protesters, bystanders, and relief workers, and injuring many more.

2) Following orders from "Goni", the army and police attempted to close radio stations, withdraw newspapers from circulation, and intimidate news reporters. It also raided the homes of civic and union leaders, illegally arresting and torturing several.

3) During its last days in Office, "Goni's" Government officials physically withdrew millionaire amounts of the Central Bank's funds from its vaults, which have not been accounted for since, just to name one of the legal and financial "irregularities" that occurred those days.

If you believe in democracy and human rights, I'm sure you'll agree that anyone who fits these descriptions deserves to be investigated, and the failure to clarify events such as these, punish those responsible according to their responsibility, and provide remedies for its victims should be considered - impunity.

While the following facts have nothing to do with the above conclusion, it may show how deviated the arguments:

1) Evo Morales wasn't among those that initiated the protests, and wasn't among the protest's leaders until the last days (he wasn't even in La Paz during the first days of the protests), even being criticized for being too lukewarm in his support to the protests at the beginning of the events.

2) Evo Morales did not initiate the process against "Goni", it was initiated way before he was even a presidential candidate by Carlos Mesa, who had been Vice-President under "Goni" until his resignation, and denounced his acts nationally and internationally when the situation deteriorated, first as Vice-President and then as President.

3) The demand to increase revenues from gas exports, which initiated the protests in October 2003 was not a key demand by Evo or his party until after the events took place. Until then, their agenda had been focused on the cooperation with the US for the eradication coca leaf plants.