Bolivia: Evo supporters take soldiers hostage
Supporters of Bolivia's former president Evo Morales took more than 200 soldiers hostage on Nov. 2. The Bolivian Foreign Ministry reported that the activists occupied three military facilities in the region of Chapare during protests. The statement accused them of possessing weapons and ammunition. At least 30 police officers are reportedly injured, and more than 50 protesters were arrested last week.
The protests have been ongoing for weeks, since Bolivian prosecutors started an investigation into Morales' alleged statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl in 2016, and his subsequent refusal to testify in court. Since reports of a possible warrant for his arrest, Morales has been hiding in the rural area of Chapare in central Bolivia. His supporters have demanded the closure of the judicial cases against him, and threatened to take over police and military barracks in the event of an attempt to arrest him.
Bolivia's Foreign Ministry published a statement labeling the protesters as members of "irregular groups." It said that the government is willing to open dialogue with all social sectors of the country, but cited a difficulty in establishing such process due to the protesters' ongoing actions.
The incumbent president, Luis Arce, condemned the taking of the soldiers as "an absolutely reprehensible criminal act that is far from any legitimate social claim of the Indigenous peasant movement."
The minister of government, Eduardo Del Castillo, issued a statement in September accusing Morales of a "destabilization" campaign aimed at advancing his "personal political interest" of becoming a candidate in the next presidential elections in 2025. Morales first took power in 2006, but had to flee the country after protests following his attempt to seek a fourth term in office in 2019. Bolivia's Constitutional Court in December 2023 disqualified Morales from running for re-election based on an advisory opinion of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that prohibited indefinite presidential re-election. This reversed the Constitutional Court’s ruling of 2017 that allowed him to seek a fourth term.
The 2023 Constitutional Court decision also cited Article 156 of Bolivia’s Constitution, which holds that no president can serve more than two terms.
From Jurist, Nov. 3. Used with permission.
See our last reports on the political crisis in Bolivia, the constitutional question, and the struggle in Chapare.
Bolivia judge orders arrest of former president Evo Morales
A Bolivian criminal court judge ordered the arrest of former president Evo Morales on Jan. 17 after he failed to appear at a precautionary measures hearing in an aggravated human trafficking case.
Along with the arrest order, Judge Nelson Rocabado of the Fifth Anti-Corruption & Violence Against Women Criminal Court in Tarija imposed national travel restrictions, ordered Morales' assets frozen, and directed the freezing of his bank accounts.
The hearing was scheduled after Morales missed an initial Jan. 14 appointment with prosecutors, which his legal team attributed to health issues. The judge had given Morales 48 hours to provide proof of his medical condition, but the court ultimately rejected medical certificates claiming bronchopneumonia and bradycardia as justification for his absence and held him in contempt.
Tarija departmental prosecutor Sandra Gutiérrez indicated the prosecution would seek immediate processing of the new arrest warrant through the court secretary, local sources confirmed.
This marks the second arrest warrant issued against the former president in this case, as prosecutors previously sought his detention in October 2024 during the investigation phase to compel his testimony.
The Public Ministry formally charged Morales in October 2024 under Article 281 bis of Bolivia’s Criminal Code, which criminalizes human trafficking. The investigation centers on allegations that Morales initiated a relationship with a minor in 2015 while serving as president. Prosecutors alleged the relationship resulted in the birth of a child the following year. Court documents suggest the minor’s parents enrolled her in Morales' "youth guard," seeking political advancement and benefits.
Morales' defense team maintains his innocence, characterizing the charges as political persecution and announcing plans to file a constitutional protection action while pursuing disciplinary proceedings against Judge Rocabado. The United Confederation of Rural Workers' Unions of Bolivia has mobilized significant support for Morales, with over 2,000 people reportedly providing continuous security in the locality of Lauca Ñ to prevent the execution of any arrest warrant. (Jurist)
The case unfolds amid political tensions between Morales and current President Luis Arce, his former minister and ally. Their relationship deteriorated into a struggle for control of the ruling party and the left’s presidential candidacy as Morales has expressed interest in running in the upcoming August presidential elections. Morales claimed these charges represent a “brutal legal warfare” orchestrated by Arce’s government to prevent his political participation. His presidential aspirations, however, had already faced a significant setback when Bolivia's Constitutional Court issued Constitutional Order 0083/2024 ECA in November 2024, which effectively restricted Morales’ ability to seek reelection. (Jurist)