Bolivian opposition rejects arrest of former president Jeanine Áñez outright and calls for protests

The arrest of former interim president of Bolivia Jeanine Áñez he was rejected en bloc by the opposition from her country, where she is under investigation for her participation in an alleged coup against former left-wing president Evo Morales in 2019.

The main opposition parties, the right-wing conservatives, deny that there was a coup in Bolivia in November 2019, in the midst of social upheaval and a police uprising, Morales resigned and left for Mexico as his first destination, and Áñez, then second vice-president of the Senate, was proclaimed interim president.

The surprise opposition has indicated that as a former president Áñez should be tried by parliament and not by ordinary courts, but the justice minister has denied any possibility of a privileged trial as a former president ..

Meanwhile, some leaders and civil society groups protests were called from Monday against these arrests, described as “political persecution” against those who “defended democracy and freedom in 2019,” said former President Carlos Mesa (2003-2005) on Twitter.

Former Bolivian President Jorge Quiroga (2001-2002), of the right-wing Democratic National Action Party (ADN), also warned that “they wanted to criminalize constitutional succession” and called for a meeting of all sectors to be summoned to defend democracy.

For its part, the Civic Committee of Santa Cruz rejected the arrests of Áñez and his former ministers and he summoned citizenship to civil resistance, while other groups of citizens declared themselves in a state of emergency.

Áñez, 53, was arrested early Saturday in the town of Trinidad, capital of the Amazonian department of Beni, 600 km northeast of La Paz, by police, during an operation led by the minister of government. Government (Interior), Eduardo of the Castle.

Her name appears in a complaint filed last December by the former ruling Movement for Socialism (MAS) deputy Lidia Patty against the civic leader of the wealthy Santa Cruz region, the right-wing Luis Fernando Camacho, governor elected from the department in recent local elections.

The trial includes five former ministers from Áñez, police and military chiefs and civilians who participated in what the current government sees as a coup against leftist Morales after 14 years in power.

Detained for now

Like Áñez, his former ministers of justice, Álvaro Coimbra, and energy, Rodrigo Guzmán, were also detained in Trinidad, and all were airlifted to La Paz, for questioning by the prosecution.

The charge is for sedition, terrorism and conspiracy.

Áñez is being held in cells at a police barracks and transferred to the prosecutor’s office for a few hours on Saturday, but she availed herself of the right to remain silent and was sent back to the unit in uniform.

The prosecution expects to receive its statements in the coming hours and will decide under what legal conditions to refer it to a judge, for the opening of legal proceedings.

Áñez will consider su detención “un acto de abuso y persecución política” del gobierno del presidente Luis Arce, that the acusa “de haber participado en un golpe de Estado que nunca ocurrió” y en el marco de un proceso que “no tiene ni pies ni Head”.

Ordinary process

Justice Minister Iván Lima rejected opposition complaints that there was political management of the prosecution and said he was acting on the right.

He explained that Áñez is not entitled to a judgment of responsibilities or privilege, due to his condition of ex-governor, but to an ordinary process for his actions as a senator, before having assumed the first magistracy.

“Right now, we are facing the trial of a former senator, therefore, no constitutional privilege trial matches.”

A privilege trial means that the Attorney General’s office asks Parliament to authorize the trial and then develop the process in the Supreme Court of Justice.

Calls for dialogue

Áñez’s arrest prompted European Union (EU) High Representative Josep Borrell to say from Twitter that “the charges for the events of 2019 must be resolved through transparent and pressure-free justice. Politics”.

Borrell also called for “dialogue and reconciliation”.

The US embassy in La Paz called in a statement that “all civil rights and due process guarantees be respected.”

The Bolivian Episcopal Conference called for “the immediate release of the detainees”, whom it considered to be personalities who sought “pacification” in the difficult times of the country.

The Catholic Church and the European Union played a key role in the transition from the Morales government to that of Áñez.

Áñez took over the presidency in November 2019, after Morales resigned amid strong social upheaval from opponents who denounced the fraud in the previous month’s election in which the leftist leader sought re-election.

Opponents denounced ballot fraud, which then led to a police riot and the armed forces suggested he resign.

Morales was exiled to Mexico, moved a month later to Argentina as a refugee and returned to his country in November 2020, after the presidential election won by Arce, his dolphin and former Minister of the Economy.

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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