Catholic Church submits a lawsuit against the Bolivian State to the IACHR

The Episcopal Conference of Bolivia presented before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) a lawsuit against the Bolivian State for the closure of the Instituto Normal Superior Católico Sedes Sapientiae (INSCSS), for training teachers, forcibly closed in 2010.

The lawsuit is brought by ADF International, an organization that works to defend human rights with a focus on both the protection and promotion of the family, Christian values, and freedom of expression and religion.

This new action occurs after the Bolivian State rejected requests from the Episcopate to reopen the teacher training establishment, as well as an appeal that raised the unconstitutionality of the Education Law.

Passed in December 2010, the Education Law led to the closure of two teacher training schools, one run by the Catholic Church and the other by the Adventist community, and prohibited the creation of private institutions that granted teaching degrees.

Tomás Henríquez, Area Director for Latin America at ADF International, explained in a statement: “Both the Bolivian Constitution and international law protect the right to educational and religious freedom, including the right to create and manage educational institutions. “The Bolivian authorities have flagrantly violated both rights by forcibly closing the Catholic Normal School.”

“We hope that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will take up this case and hold the Bolivian State accountable for these flagrant violations of human rights. Such gross violations of fundamental freedoms cannot be allowed to occur,” he added.

ADF explained that, by nationalizing teacher training in Bolivia and decreeing the closure of the INSCSS, the Bolivian State violated international human rights law, incorporated into its legislation by constitutional mandate.

In this sense, he mentioned article 13.4 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which protects the “freedom of individuals and entities to establish and direct educational institutions, provided that the education given in “such institutions conform to the minimum standards prescribed by the State.”

Bolivian legislation then violates human rights law, by establishing a general prohibition on the freedom of organizations and churches to establish and direct normal schools, and by not establishing the minimum requirements that would allow them to do so.

The INSCSS was founded on February 23, 1956, at the request of the then Archbishop of La Paz, Mons. Abel Antezana, with the purpose of training teachers for the initial, primary and secondary education levels; certify its graduates as teachers; and process the registration of its graduates in accordance with Bolivian national teaching standards.

More than 12,750 teachers received their training at the establishment, which has also produced 125 educational texts. During its operation, the institute received distinctions from the State for its contributions to the culture, education and development of Bolivia, including the National Decoration of the Order of the Condor of the Andes.

In 2010, when the Education Law was enacted, teacher training was nationalized, thus inhibiting the freedom of institutions to train teachers, and granting the State exclusive jurisdiction in the matter.

This law ordered the closure of private teacher training institutes, which is why the INSCSS was closed.

Once the appeals presented to the Bolivian Justice have been rejected, it is the turn of the IACHR, which must rule in the coming months on the admissibility of the case and notify the State so that it responds to the demands of the Episcopate.