BOLIVIA.- The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, said on Sunday (21) that he will repeal the new Penal Code, which penalized evangelization in the country. According to him, the determination was made “so as not to give arguments to the right”, which has been encouraging protests.
Morales urgently requested the elaboration of a new penal norm to the legislature, which is controlled by the party that is in power. The decision was made after a series of demonstrations led by various sectors of the Bolivian population and was about to turn into a national strike.
“The lie won with the issue of the campaign,” Morales argued when he announced his decision on the program El Pueblo es Noticia, broadcast by state media. “I have decided to revoke the entire new Criminal Code System, I hope they can quickly enter into an agreement with the Plurinational Legislative Assembly.”
In addition to reaching unions and workers, article 88 of the new Penal Code provided for 7 to 12 years in prison for those who encouraged people to participate in religious or cult organizations.
“The person who, by himself or by third parties, captures, transports, transfers, deprives of freedom, shelters or receives people with the purpose of doing the good recruitment of people for their participation in armed conflicts or religious or cult organizations, “said the text of the document.
Morales’s decision came after churches around the world united in prayer to cry out to God for religious freedom and the Bolivian authorities. On their knees, Bolivian pastors met before the Government Palace and the Legislative Assembly for a change in the Penal Code. “Have mercy on our homeland, Bolivia. “Give wisdom and intelligence to our president and to those in government, to the deputies and senators,” prayed one of the pastors.
Congressman Roberto de Lucena met last Wednesday (17) with the Bolivian ambassador, José Kinn Franco, and handed over a letter to Morales. In the letter, the parliamentarian affirmed that he is the author of bill 7787/2014, which authorizes the president to suspend diplomatic and commercial relations with countries that promote or tolerate religious persecution and do not respect human rights.
Brazil-Bolivia
On behalf of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB), Lucena asked the Bolivian government to reconsider the legal diploma regarding the practice of religious activity and considered the enormous negative impact on the 60 million evangelicals from Brazil.
«We respect the national sovereignty of Bolivia – where it is much more than a neighboring town, Bolivians are our brothers – but, we expressed to President Morales, through the extraordinary ambassador José Franco, our concerns regarding the text of the new Penal Code. The ambassador recalled the sensitivity to the issue that religious institutions in Bolivia do not compete with the State, but rather support the fight for social justice”, informed the parliamentarian Guiame.
Morales’s decision was made one day before making his management report to the Plurinational Legislative Assembly. “To avoid such confusion, with fear based on the lies of social networks, I decided to revoke (the Code),” the president alleged.
While the message sent by Morales to the legislature must be discussed, voted on and approved.
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