Thousands Protest US Asylum for Sanchez Berzaín as Resentment

Shortly after 10 a.m. on June 9, several thousand protesters from El Alto marched into La Paz and surrounded the US Embassy. The mainly indigenous protesters were demanding the return of ex-President Sánchez de Lozada and ex-Minister of Defence Sánchez Berzaín to Bolivia. Both men are facing a civil suit in the US and charges in Bolivia for the death of almost 70 civilians during the 2003 "Guerra del Gas."

On June 3, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada and Carlos Sanchez Berzaín's US lawyers distributed a press release which affirms that the US government granted ex-defence minister Sánchez Berzain asylum in 2007, and claiming that, as a result, he cannot be prosecuted:

	Thousands of Bolivians protest at U.S. embassy	Reuters	Tue Jun 10	1
	Bolivian protesters march on US Embassy	Associated Press	Mon Jun 9	5