The Bolivian justice ordered Friday (12) the arrest of the former president Jeanine Añez for conspiracy, sedition and terrorism in the days which followed the resignation of Evo Morales, in November 2019.
Arrest orders were also issued to five ministers of the former Bolivian leader, including Arturo Murillo, accused of being behind the crackdown on MAS party activists during protests at the time, and Williams Kaliman. , a former commander of the armed forces who pressured Evo to resign.
“The political persecution has started. The MAS has decided to return to the dictatorial style. Too bad, because Bolivia does not need dictators, but freedom and solutions,” Añez said on social media.
The complaint was lodged by a bloc of MPs and former MAS MPs, captioned by Evo and the country’s current president, Luis Arce. In the process, justice accuses the government of Añez of having caused more than 30 deaths in the repression of the demonstrations due to the departure of the indigenous leader.
The penalties for the crimes described, if confirmed, range from 5 to 20 years in prison.
Last weekend, during the regional elections, the MAS lost conflicts in important places, like the department of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. There, right-winger Luis Fernando Camacho was elected governor, a figure who played a decisive role in Evo’s departure.
MAS dissident Eva Copa, who headed the Senate during Añez’s tenure, won the post of mayor of El Alto, an important stronghold of the former president. La Paz, on the other hand, stayed with Iván Arias, a former minister of the last government. Overall, however, MAS came out victorious, having triumphed in 5 of the country’s 9 departments.