Former Bolivian President Settles with Victims of 2003 Extrajudicial Killings After Standing Trial in U.S. Civil Court

    On September 28, 2023, former Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada and his defense minister Jose Carlos Sanches Berzain settled with the families of victims of extrajudicial killings by their administration in 2003.  The settlement, which involved paying an undisclosed sum to the families of eight victims, resulted from a decade-long legal battle in U.S. courts under the Torture Victims Protection Act of 1991 (TVPA).  This case represents the first time a foreign head of state has been held responsible for human rights abuses in U.S. civil courts.