Alcira Nieves Catari Mendoza
Alcira Nieves Catari Mendoza is a human rights lawyer with Asociacion de Mujeres JUMAMPI LURATA, an organization that works to promote access to justice and empower women and LGBTIQ people in Bolivian prisons.
JUMAMPI LURATA is composed of 15 female lawyers that work in two regional offices in La Paz and Santa Cruz. They provide free legal defense, carry out strategic litigation and develop awareness raising activities. The organisation's members have been targeted with death threats, threats to their families and children, criminalisation, vandalism and robbery in their offices, defamation and verbal attacks.
The environment for human rights defenders in any sector in Bolivia can be quite hostile. Human rights defenders face continuous attacks, threats and acts of intimidation in the country. The lack of response from the government is particularly worrisome and organisations – especially those which work to denounce human rights violations and abuses by the State – have suffered constant harassment and stigmatisation.
