Bolivia issues warrant for Evo Morales’s arrest after court no-show

The ex-Bolivian president is connected proceedings for allegedly fathering a kid with a 15-year-old miss portion successful office.

A Bolivian justice has recovered erstwhile President Evo Morales successful contempt of tribunal and reissued a warrant for his apprehension aft helium failed to crook up for the commencement of his proceedings connected charges of trafficking a minor.

The ruling connected Monday renewed tensions successful the South American country, with supporters of Morales informing they would “throw the state into turmoil” if the erstwhile person is arrested.

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Morales, who is Bolivia’s archetypal Indigenous president, is accused of fathering a kid with a 15-year-old miss portion successful office. The parents of the teen are accused of consenting to the narration successful speech for favours from Morales.

The erstwhile socialist leader, who governed from 2006 to 2019, has rejected the accusations.

Morales did not be the scheduled commencement of his proceedings connected Monday successful the confederate metropolis of Tarija, forcing the proceedings to beryllium suspended.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office said Morales’s “unjustified absence” confirmed his fugitive presumption and warranted an apprehension bid arsenic good arsenic a question ban.

The erstwhile president has been hiding from the instrumentality successful his cardinal coca-growing stronghold of Chapare since precocious 2024, guarded by Indigenous supporters who person promised to defy immoderate effort to seizure him.

‘Ready for battle’

“They deliberation that by arresting Evo Morales, they volition win successful quelling and demobilising the movement. They are precise overmuch mistaken,” protagonist Dieter Mendoza said connected Kawsachun Coca vigor connected Monday. “If they interaction Evo Morales, this volition origin an upheaval … There volition beryllium an insurgency crossed Bolivia.”

Mendoza urged residents of the Cochabamba Tropics to stay connected “high alert” and “ready for battle”.

Authorities archetypal issued an apprehension warrant for Morales successful October 2024, but could not execute it aft his supporters blocked roads for 24 days, preventing officers from reaching the portion wherever helium remains sheltered.

Morales was already declared successful contempt of tribunal successful January 2025, erstwhile helium did not amusement for a pretrial detention hearing.

Wilfredo Chavez, 1 of his lawyers, told the AFP quality bureau connected Friday that neither Morales nor his lawyers would amusement up successful court, arsenic they had not been “properly notified”.  The lawyer said the tribunal did not nonstop the summons to Morales’s address, but had alternatively served it done an edict.

Morales, who rose from dire poverty to go 1 of Latin America’s longest-serving leaders, has slammed those “that persecute maine and condemn maine successful grounds time”.

His refusal to springiness up powerfulness successful 2019 aft 3 presumption led to a tumultuous exit that formed a shadiness implicit astir 14 years of economical advancement and poorness reduction.

Forced to resign aft elections tainted by fraud, helium slipped distant into exile successful Mexico and aboriginal Argentina, but returned location a twelvemonth later.

He failed to marque a comeback past twelvemonth aft being barred from seeking a 4th word successful statesmanlike elections.