Former Bolivian President Jeanine Áñez Arrested After Being Charged With Terrorism

The Minister of the Government, Eduardo Castillo, confirmed the arrest of the former interim president of Bolivia, Jeanine Áñez, in the context of the “coup” case, which investigates the origin of the violence that took place after the 2019 presidential elections, in which former President Evo Morales was accused by the opposition of electoral fraud .

“I denounce to Bolivia and the world that in an act of abuse and political persecution, the MAS government ordered me to arrest myself. He accuses me of participating in a coup that never happened. My prayers for Bolivia and for all Bolivians “Áñez expressed on his Twitter profile minutes after the minister announced his arrest via the same social network.

Áñez was arrested at dawn this Saturday after an arrest warrant was issued which led police to surround her home on Friday and then search her, although they could not find her at her home. For the moment, no other information on the arrest has emerged..

Former acting president of Bolivia charged with crimes of sedition, terrorism and conspiracy.

“The political persecution has started. The Movement for Socialism (MAS) has decided to return to the styles of dictatorship. Too bad because Bolivia does not need dictators, it needs freedom and solutions “Áñez denounced after learning that the prosecution had issued an arrest order.

The Minister of Justice, Iván Lima Magne, stressed that the complaint which opened the investigation which led to the arrest, “was lodged against the former senator Jeanine Áñez, and not against the former president”, so “is not protected by a liability judgment“.

The Bolivian authorities on Friday arrested in Trinidad, in the north of the country, the former Minister of Energy Rodrigo Guzmán, whom they “intercepted in the middle of the street, three types who did not even identify themselves, they the put him in mobility and took him away. ”according to his wife, Dalia Lima.

Among those accused by the prosecution are also the former ministers of justice, Álvaro Coimbra – already arrested -; of Áñez’s government and right-hand man, Arturo Murillo – is in the United States -; from the presidency, Yerko Núñez; and Defense, Luis Fernando López.

All were charged with crimes of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy, for their possible participation in the violent riots between September 1, 2019 and December 31 of the same year, including the massacres of Sacaba and Senkata, and which led to Morales’ resignation of his victory and his departure from the country in the direction of first Mexico and then Argentina.

The arrest warrant also calls for the arrest of Admiral Palmiro Jarjuri, former Navy Commander Jorge Gonzalo Terceros, who held the same post in the Air Force, as well as General Gonzalo Mendieta.

PREVENTIVE PRISON OF FLAVIO GUSTAVO ARCE

Likewise, among the soldiers accused by the prosecutor’s office are also Air Division General Jorge Elmer Fernández and the former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Flavio Gustavo Arce San Martín, who was arrested on Wednesday.

Precisely, this Friday, the prosecution presented accusations of sedition, conspiracy and terrorism against Flavio Arce during a precautionary hearing during which the justice pronounced preventive detention for the former soldiers of the prison of San Pedro de La Paz, according to the aforementioned Bolivian media.

To all this must be added the arrest warrants issued already Thursday by the prosecution against the former commander of the Bolivian police Vladimir Yuri Calderón and the former head of the armed forces Williams Kaliman.

More specifically, the prosecution identified 13 former authorities of the previous government as part of this investigation.

The “Coup” case is part of an investigation following a complaint by former MAS MP Lidia Patty, who accused Luis Fernando Camacho, governor of Santa Cruz and presidential candidate last year in which Luis Arce emerged victorious. , along with his father and various military and police commanders, the riots and the departure of Morales.

(With information from Europa Press)

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