As the drive for “humanitarian” intervention in Syria has turned international attention towards the hypocrisy and violence of U.S. foreign policy, Bolivian president Evo Morales has announced his intent to file a lawsuit against the United States government for crimes against humanity.
The announcement came as a direct response to the denial of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s jet from entering U.S. airspace on his way to bi-lateral talks in China this week, and only two months after Morales’ own plane was forced to land in Vienna on suspicion that whistleblower Edward Snowden was on board.
“The U.S. cannot be allowed to continue with its policy of intimidation and blockading of presidential flights,” stressed Morales during a press conference in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz.
These latest transgressions come following the revelation of widespread spying on several Latin American countries by the National Security Association. Morales has called an emergency meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to address the issue of neo-colonial intimidation in the region, but his impending lawsuit is a wider condemnation of the impunity and violence of North American imperialism around the world.
“We are preparing a lawsuit against Barack Obama to condemn him for crimes against humanity,” said Morales. He has called for CELAC members to withdraw their ambassadors from the United States and for members of the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas (ALBA) to boycott the next United Nations meeting.
The Obama administration has sent predator drones to kill hundreds of innocent civilians in Yemen and Pakistan, has defended the use of torture tactics on prisoners of war, and has continued to financially support the colonial state of Israel and other oppressive regimes. The administration’s recent drive for unilateral war on Syria highlights U.S. violations of international law in the interest of empire.
As the U.S. government continue to spread death and violence around the world, it will be crucially important for members of the world community to follow Bolivia’s example and stand in solidarity against the beast of imperialism.
