VZCZCXYZ0023
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLP #3037 3202125
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 162125Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5650
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 7279
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 4647
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 8555
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 5779
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 2999
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 3199
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 4990
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 5634
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 0244
RUMIAAA/USCINCSO MIAMI FL
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0674
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS LA PAZ 003037 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR DRL ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY JONATHAN FARRAR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: APER KPAO PHUM BL
SUBJECT: BOLIVIA: FREEDOM DEFENDER NOMINEE 
 
REF: STATE 147749 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Embassy La Paz is pleased to nominate Ana Maria 
Romero de Campero as our 2007 Freedom Defenders Award 
Nominee.  From 1998-2003, Ms. Campero served as Bolivia's 
first Human Rights Ombudsman (Defensor del Pueblo), the 
independent government agency charged with defending and 
promoting constitutional guarantees of human rights.  Ms. 
Campero was selected by the Bolivian Congress for her 
 
tireless fighting in defense of human rights and democracy 
both during Bolivia's dictatorial regimes and after.  While 
serving as Bolivia's Human Rights Ombudsman she was elected 
President of the Andean Council of Human Rights Defenders 
(Presidenta del Consejo Andino de Defensores del Pueblo). 
During her tenure as Human Rights Ombudsman, Ms. Campero was 
instrumental at mediating numerous civil conflicts and 
promoting legal cases where the Bolivian government infringed 
on human rights.  She continues her human rights work today 
as director of the UNIR Foundation. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  A journalist by profession, during the 
dictatorships of the 1960's and 1970's, Ms Campero was an 
outspoken critic of the so called "defacto governments" and a 
strong promoter of human rights and freedom of expression. 
She helped found the newspaper "Apertura" (Opening), which 
was later closed under General Garcia Meza's dictatorship in 
¶1980.  She has served as President of three prestigious 
journalism societies: the La Paz Journalists Association, the 
Circle of Women Journalists and the National Press 
Association. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Comment: Ms. Campero has not always supported U.S. 
policies, specifically our anti-narcotics efforts. She has 
argued that the policies led to human rights violations, 
primarily during the forced eradication period of the Banzer 
administration.  As Human Rights Ombudsman she promoted the 
civil rights of coca-growers, some of which may have injured 
and killed anti-narcotics forces.  That said, as the Human 
Rights Ombudsman her role was to defend civil society from 
government perpetrated abuses, abuses committed by civil 
society against government agents is/was the role of 
Bolivia's Public Ministry (equivalent of the Attorney 
General's Office). Ms. Campero also vocally supported and 
participated in a hunger-strike which led to the resignation 
of President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada.  End Comment. 
GOLDBERG