Mob kills 3 suspected kidnappers in lynching in Bolivia

Residents of the region of Ivirgarzam, in Cochabamba (Bolivia), are accused of lynching and killing 3 alleged kidnappers in a public square. The case was registered on Wednesday (May 8, 2024).

According to the incident report published by the Bolivian newspaper The times, a group had tried to intercept the police cars that were taking the detainees to prison. Unsuccessfully, around 400 people decided to invade the cells of the Special Crime Fighting Force and take the alleged kidnappers to trial. Even with the intervention of the local police, it was not possible to rescue the prisoners, who were killed.

Watch (28s):

#Urgentebo | In #Ivirgarzama, #Cochabamba, three individuals accused of kidnapping were taken from the police by local community members. Subsequently, these individuals were lynched and lost their lives.
🔴Know all the details here: https://t.co/dSJbWoyYy5 pic.twitter.com/N4f0MkAHza

— Urgente.bo (@Urgentebo) May 8, 2024

The Departmental Prosecutor of Cochabamba, Osvaldo Tejerina Ríos, went to the scene for a visual inspection and condemned the actions of the population. The authority reported that the first steps will be the investigation and medico-legal necropsy of the bodies.

Given the violence of the deaths, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the country’s Judiciary requested the Bolivian police to carry out an urgent investigation to hold those responsible accountable. Furthermore, he requested that cases involving acts of violation of fundamental rights, in general, of the population in vulnerable situations, such as children, women and the elderly, be promptly responded to.

Part of the community complains about the high crime rate and constant kidnappings in the Cochabamba regions and emphasizes that the protection of the police and judicial authorities is lacking.