Bolivia President Rodrigo Paz's State of Exception Sparks International Protests and Deportation of Argentine Mission

President Rodrigo Paz of Bolivia declared a state of exception on 8 June, authorising the armed forces to quell protests against his austerity measures, fuel price hikes and land‑law reforms. The decree has been linked to violent crackdowns, with reports of over ten deaths and more than 300 arrests, according to Bolivian diaspora groups.

An Argentine humanitarian delegation sent to La Paz to document alleged human‑rights abuses was blocked from landing, detained on the aircraft for lacking paperwork and returned to Buenos Aires after nearly seven hours. Argentine human‑rights officials condemned the action as a breach of international law, saying “we are witnessing a serious crisis in social and political terms” and “a series of rights violations.”

Left‑wing parties and solidarity groups in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the United States and Australia issued statements calling for an end to the state of exception, the release of detainees, and the resignation of President Paz.