Resolution on fair justice in Bolivia, in particular the cases of Előd Tóásó and Mario Tadić

The European Parliament adopted by 54 votes to 7 with 0 abstentions a resolution on fair justice in Bolivia, in particular the cases of Előd Tóásó and Mario Tadić. The resolution was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ALDE, and ECR groups. It called on the Bolivian authorities to ensure a fair and independent trial in the cases of these men, who were Hungarian and Croatian citizens respectively, arrested by Bolivian Special Forces on 16 April 2009, in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and held without charge in pre-trial detention ever since. Members note this was in breach of the Bolivian law that set a maximum length for pre-trial detention of 36 months, and in breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on several points according to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

Members called on the European External Action Service to keep the case high on the agenda in its contacts with the Bolivian Government, and to take concrete measures and steps on the matter.

It also called for an independent investigation, involving international experts, into the deaths of Árpád Magyarósi, Michael Martin Dwyer and Eduardo Rózsa-Flores, EU citizens who died in the shooting in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.