from Russ Stetler The trial of Regis Debray opened last week on August 18 in a remote southeastern village of the landlocked nation. An impressive battery of reporters and observers have appeared from Britain, France, Belgium and Italy. Worldwide support for Debray has mounted steadily. The Bolivian authorities have consistently postponed the trial, and they now seem to contemplate a protracted set of hearings extending over a period of perhaps two months, Our vigilance must not wane in this endurance test: we must use all additional time to augment the ranks of Debray's supporters. The French press has played a leading role in creating an awareness of Regis Debray's plight. Le Monde has carried daily dispatches from Bolivia, and with the disgraceful exception of the Communist party newspaper L'Humanite other major dailies have followed suit. A week before the trial opened Le Monde exposed the fact that Debray had begun a hunger strike to protest the most recent humiliation and abuse which he had suffered, His head had been shaved, and he was forced to wear a prison uniform (number 001) in order to distinguish him in any crowd should he escape. Debray's hunger strike and the concentration camp tactics aroused concern at once; protests were voiced in a variety of places, including the Catholic journal, Presencia, In three days, Debray's civilian clothes were returned and he was permitted a press conference, Speaking before the world press and even a few television cameras, Debray stated, 'I was tortured the first two days of my arrest and I remained unconscious for forty-eight hours in the prison of Choreti'., He declared that the physical torture had ceased since then, but moral torture continued, Despite the attention which has focused on the trial, the Bolivian authorities have denied Debray the elementary right to counsel of his choice. A patently rigged trial is planned, but one expects that it will become increasingly difficult for the Bolivians to execute this macabre plan, An important factor is the regime's dependence on the United States. The U.S, Government cannot afford to be identified with a show-trial which is already condemned widely, In turn, the Barrientos regime cannot afford to lose favour with the United States at such a crucial moment: the success of the guerrilla movement to date demands that Barrientos look for greater U.S. military aid. (American ‘advisers' are already present).
Background information on the trial will be found in the first issue of the London Bulletin of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, A full discussion, including reports from journalists just returned from Bolivia, will take place at the Foundation's second meeting on Latin America, at Mahatma Gandhi Hall, Friday August 25th,