Prosecutor and two police officers detained in stocks in Ixiamas, northern La Paz
Community members from Ixiamas kidnapped and assaulted a prosecutor and two police officers after the arrest of a man investigated for a 2022 homicide. The officials reportedly regained their freedom.
Community members from Ixiamas detain prosecutor and two uniformed officers in stocks
A prosecutor and two police officers were kidnapped, beaten and placed in stocks by residents of the municipality of Ixiamas, in the northern part of La Paz department, according to reporting by El Deber. The incident occurred after the officials carried out an arrest warrant as part of judicial proceedings related to the death of a person registered in September 2022.
Prosecutor Edwin Sarmiento confirmed that the three individuals were "practically kidnapped, beaten and taken to the stocks". The Public Ministry received videos that allegedly record blows, assaults and torture against those detained.
The departmental prosecutor for La Paz, Gabriel Quiroga, detailed that the representative of the Public Ministry travelled to Ixiamas accompanied by a police contingent, given the presumed hostility of the environment. Following the arrest of the investigated individual, a group of community leaders and residents allegedly forced their way into the prosecutor's offices to remove the officials.
"We know that he is bloodied and his family is absolutely worried," declared Quiroga, who demanded the immediate release of those detained.
The case that prompted the intervention had reached the stage of oral trial. Sarmiento clarified that the investigated individual was arrested on Tuesday and that, hours later, community members forced their way into the prosecutor's offices to take the officials away. The three were forcibly taken to the main plaza of the municipality, where they were placed in stocks in front of residents.
The Public Ministry rejected the notion that community justice could justify assaults or detentions against State authorities and urged residents to use legal channels to resolve the conflict. The prosecutor's office also opened a communication line to manage the release of the officials.
Later information circulated by the news website Río Televisión indicated that the prosecutor and the two police officers allegedly regained their freedom. Until the publication deadline, the authorities had not issued an official report on the circumstances of the release or on the state of health of those affected.
Source: El Deber