Bolivian ex-president to pay damages to victims of military in landmark US case

A former Bolivian president, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, and his defense minister José Carlos Sanchez Berlin, have agreed to pay damages to families affected by military actions during their tenure. In 2003 the military was dispatched to control protests in El Alto over plans to export Bolivia's natural gas, resulting in the death of over 60 protestants. The two officials later fled to the US. In 2007, a US civil lawsuit was filed against them by eight Bolivian families affected by the 2003 incident. In 2018, they were found responsible and they had to pay $10 million in damages. They initially appealed but they they have now agreed to pay an undisclosed amount. This landmark case sets a precedent, suggesting that foreign leaders can be held accountable for human rights abuses in US courts. The case was processed under the Torture Victim Protection Act, which addresses torture or extrajudicial killings committed outside the US. Legal experts believe this case might pave the way for more human rights accountability cases in US courts

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/01/bolivia-sanchez-de-lozada-settlement-protesters-killed