Bolivia to U.S.: Give us “Goni”

The Bolivian government has requested the extradition of former president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. According to the AP, the 2700-page request issued by Bolivia’s Foreign Ministry accuses the former leader of genocide during anti-government riots in 2003. As we mentioned last year, prosecutors in the Andean country said that “Goni” would face 25 years in prison if tried and convicted.

Lawyers for the ex-president claimed that the charges are political propaganda:

The ex-president's lawyers say the extradition attempt is no more than political harassment by leftist President Evo Morales.

"The actions taken by the Sanchez de Lozada government were constitutional, lawful, and appropriate," Howard Gutman, a lawyer representing the former president, said in a statement released Tuesday.

The extradition "is part of a politically motivated offensive orchestrated by Evo Morales against democracy and those he considers his political foes," he said.

The exiled “Goni” lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland though that hasn’t stopped lawyers for victims in Bolivia to file civil suits against him in U.S. courts.

Image- CNN
Sources- The Latin Americanist, PRESS TV, coha.org, CNN