We are pretty sure that during the United States cable news coverage of the April 6 missile attack on Syria by President Trump, no one major outlet took the time to dive deep and report what Bolivian Ambassador to UN Sacha Llorenti said at the United Nations Security Council on April 7. It is a lesson and reminder of United States policy over the years, especially when it comes to Latin America. The following video, taken from the UN’s feed, shows Llorenti’s remarks in Spanish with a simultaneous English translation, so bear with it if you want to hear the English:
This is the Spanish version with no translator:
Besides Llorenti condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria (he called for an investigation) or telling the world that the United States was the judge, jury and executioner, and reminding people how many times the United States acted unilaterally based on false information —including that whole weapons of mass destruction moment from 2003 (oh yeah, that)— these are the words that no one is talking about, so we will share them here:
“I believe it’s important to talk about the double standard, when we are meeting in the United Nations and when we are dealing with real life,” Llorenti said in Spanish through an English translator. “My own people, the people of Latin America and the Caribbean, throughout history, we’ve lived this reality. They talk about all these words about human rights, which we respect, but when the speeches about human rights are not in sync with their interests, then these violate these human rights. The series of coup d’états in Latin America were organized and funded by the CIA. This is historic truth. This is not rhetoric. It’s the truth. Let’s remember the coup d’état in 1973 against the constitutional government of Salvador Allende. This was financed by the CIA. Let’s recall the School of the Americas. Soldiers were taught how to torture people. This was part of the training of Latin American soldiers. This was part of the so-called national security strategy. We can talk about human rights, but when it doesn’t meet [U.S.] interests, it’s not important. The same goes for democracy. When it’s defined with democracy, we defend it. But it not, then we fund coup d’états. The same is happening with this Security Council.”
After the Security Council meeting, Llorenti took questions from the press:
