Striking mineworkers, seen blocking a main road in Bolivia, beat Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes to death in a conflict over mining laws. The fatal beating followed the killing of two protesters in clashes with police. Illanes had gone to Panduro, 130 km south of the La Paz, to open dialogue with some of the members of Bolivia’s 100 000-strong self-managed mining cooperative, which wants to be able to associate with private companies, which is prohibited. The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia (Fencomin), once an ally of President Evo Morales, embarked on the indefinite protest after negotiations failed. A video shows Illanes pleading for help on his cellphone moments before he was fatally beaten. Officials say he died from blunt force trauma to the head. Nine suspects have been jailed, including Fencomin president Carlos Mamani.