Angry miners beat minister to death in Bolivia
Bolivia’s Deputy Interior Minister has been hacked to death by an angry mob.
Rodolfo Illanes, 55, was beaten to death following clashes between police and miners in the town of Panduro, 165 kilometres south-east of La Paz.
The Miners who are currently represented by independently organized cooperatives have been using street blockades to protest against a law allowing them to join trade unions.
The deputy minister was trying to initiate talks with them at a roadblock when he was kidnapped. He was later murdered.
Interior Minister, Carlos Romero, confirmed on Friday that the victim was initially kidnapped by the miners after attempting to initiate talks with them at a roadblock.
He further added that one miner was also reportedly killed in the Thursday’s clash.
This brings the death toll in several days of protests against controversial trade union legislation to three, as two were previously killed on Wednesday.
About 100 miners were also detained after the protests, he said.
