Evo Morales defiant after new Bolivia arrest warrant

Bolivia’s erstwhile president is being investigated ‘for equipped uprising’ against the state, among different things.

A tribunal successful Bolivia has issued an apprehension warrant for erstwhile President Evo Morales.

The Santa Cruz territory prosecutor’s bureau said Morales is being investigated for “armed uprising against the information and sovereignty of the state, coercion and attacks connected the information of means of transport”.

Morales backed protests successful June by farmers and truckers against an economical crisis, rising surviving costs and blimpish President Rodrigo Paz’s austerity plans.

“They volition not intimidate us,” helium responded to the charges successful a post connected X.

Morales said the authorities was going aft him “to conceal the existent play Bolivia is experiencing: a heavy economical and societal crisis…a exemplary that has abandoned the radical and protects corruption”.

Demonstrators basal amid teardrop state arsenic they protestation against President Rodrigo Paz’s authorities amid an ongoing economical and substance situation successful El Alto, Bolivia, May 16, 2026 [Claudia Morales/Reuters]

Morales, Bolivia’s archetypal Indigenous president, rose from poverty to service 3 presumption arsenic president, 1 of Latin America’s longest-serving leaders.

He was successful bureau from 2006 until his fraught 2019 ouster, erstwhile helium was forced to resign aft elections tainted by claims of fraud.

Initially refusing to permission power, helium yet had to go, casting a shadiness implicit astir 14 years of economical advancement and poorness simplification mixed with accusations of governmental heavy-handedness.

He went into exile successful Mexico and later, Argentina, returning a twelvemonth aboriginal aft his governmental state Luis Arce won the presidency.

In precocious 2024, allegations surfaced against him of trafficking a insignificant and statutory rape of a 15-year-old miss who became pregnant.

By aboriginal 2025, Morales’s supporters chopped disconnected roads and paralysed the state successful protestation against the charges, which helium rejected. He has besides refused to look astatine tribunal hearings.

As the unrest implicit Bolivia’s economical situation was brewing successful May, Morales was recovered successful contempt of court, and a renewed warrant for his apprehension connected the rape charges was issued.

His supporters threatened to “throw the state into turmoil” if helium was arrested, astatine a clip erstwhile protests had unopen down roads and forced the authorities to airlift nutrient to immoderate areas.

After Paz declared a authorities of emergency successful June and the protests slowed, the latest probe began, triggered by a transgression ailment implicit Morales’s engagement with the demonstrations.

The complaint, filed by the civic radical Comit pro Santa Cruz and aboriginal picked up by the Interior Ministry, alleges that Morales’s supporters “caused a shortage of food, substance and medicine” by blocking transport successful the state for 53 days.

The charges filed connected Wednesday were outlined successful a papers published by section media, according to German ligament work DPA.

The bid instructs constabulary to detain Morales and bring him to the peculiar anticorruption unit.

“We volition proceed warring alongside the people, arsenic we person ever done, with the condemnation that Bolivia deserves a antithetic path: 1 of dignity, sovereignty, societal justice, and the betterment of anticipation for all,” said Morales responding to the latest charges.