Bolivia Former President Áñez is arrested for terrorism and conspiracy
The former president of Bolivia Jeanine Áñez is already behind bars in the capital's facilities of the Special Force to Fight Crime,
in a shocking image
that summarizes the political earthquake that has exploded in the country.
The former president and the two former ministers arrested in the police operation ordered by the revolutionary Prosecutor's Office have refused to testify.
"They have me incommunicado,"
she complained to the press while she was transferred to the Prosecutor's Office in what she considers to be an "illegal arrest, without prior notice. This is the abuse, this is the outrage."
Áñez avoided government forces for several hours, which
raided his home in Trinidad
, capital of the Beni department, 500 kilometers from La Paz.
She was finally arrested at dawn in her own home, where she was
hidden inside a box
, according to official television published.
Later she was transferred to the capital in an Army Hercules plane.
The former president, the captured former ministers
Álvaro Coímbra and Rodrigo Guzmán
, three other members of his government and seven soldiers and policemen who pressured Evo Morales to leave his post are accused of conspiracy, sedition and terrorism.
The electoral fraud verified by the
Mission of the Organization of American
States (OAS) precipitated the flight from Bolivia of the leader of the indigenous revolution, cornered by popular protests in the main cities of the country, the
rebellion of police in Cochabamba
(they refused to attack the protesters), the desertion of part of his collaborators and the position of the military chiefs, who advised Evo to resign in November 2019.
"I denounce to Bolivia and the world that in an act of abuse and political persecution, the Government of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) has ordered me to arrest. They
accuse me of having participated in a coup that never occurred
. My prayers for Bolivia and for all Bolivians, "Áñez wrote on her Twitter account when she was detained.
The case, dubbed the "Coup d'etat", was initiated by
Lidia Patty
, a former MAS deputy, although the opposition points directly to Evo Morales.
"For justice and truth for the 36 fatal victims, the more than 800 injured and more than 1,500 illegally detained in the coup. That the authors and accomplices of the dictatorship be investigated and punished," harangued Evo, criticized internally in his party after the failure of its candidates in the big cities, imposed by hand, in the local elections of March 7.
"It is not hatred that drives our actions, but a passion for justice that we have realized throughout our lives," Vice President
David Choquehuanca
justified himself
.
"We are clear that we do not carry out political persecution, nor intimidate those who think differently. Justice must continue its work independently. It
must be made clear that the national government does not persecute anyone
, but rather seeks justice in the country," he declared yesterday
Carlos del Castillo
, Minister of Government and "number two" of President
Luis Arce
.
It is precisely judicial independence and compliance with the rules that are highly questioned after the latest events.
"In the government of Áñez there were serious human rights violations,
including two aberrant massacres
. (But) the arrest warrant against Áñez does not refer to those massacres but rather accuses her of terrorism without providing evidence," denounced
José Miguel Vivanco
, director for the Americas from Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The Office of
Michelle Bachelet
, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, demanded yesterday that due process be respected and that the trial against Áñez be fair, independent and impartial and "that ambiguous or disproportionate criminal offenses are not used."
"The perpetrators of electoral fraud are amnesty and claim to be victims,"
denounced former President
Carlos Mesa
.
According to the one who was also Morales and Arce's electoral rival, "the MAS is building a case for the alleged coup to replace electoral fraud. They are trying to legitimize the fraud based on the amnesty for Evo."
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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