By Daniel Ramos and Monica Machicao
LA PAZ (Reuters) – Bolivia’s socialist government arrested former interim president Jeanine Anez on Saturday for involvement in an alleged 2019 coup d’état, reigniting political tensions after deadly protests less than two years ago.
The move marks an escalation of hostilities between the current leftist government and more conservative political opponents who accuse it of ousting longtime leader Evo Morales.
“The political persecution has begun,” Anez said on Twitter on Friday, before his arrest in the early hours. “MAS decided to return to the styles of the dictatorship”.
Bolivia’s socialist government, which returned to power in October last year, is seeking the arrest of a number of officials from Anez’s former right-wing government, as well as former police officers and military leaders who they claim to have fomented a coup.
Anez came to power in late 2019, after Morales resigned amid widespread violent protests against his government on allegations that he had stolen an election by running for an unprecedented – and unconstitutional, fourth term.
Morales and his supporters have long claimed that he was forced to leave in a coup supported by the military and claim involvement of foreign governments. The socialist MAS de Morales party returned to power in the October elections with President Luis Arce at the helm.
The arrests brought the rapid condemnation of Human Rights Watch director to the Americas, José Miguel Vivanco, who said the arrest warrants contained no evidence to support an allegation of “terrorism”. “Therefore, they generate justifiable doubts about whether this is not a politically motivated process”.
Government Minister Eduardo del Castillo said on Saturday that the Public Ministry had issued an arrest warrant against Anez “for the case of a coup in our country”.
He said the investigation against Anez and his ministers began in December and will follow due process. He confirmed the arrest along with that of Anez of his former Minister of Justice, Álvaro Coimbra, and the former Minister of Energy, Rodrigo Guzmán.
“There is no political persecution on our part here and we fear no one who thinks differently,” he said at a news conference. “What the government is doing is ensuring that there is justice in our country.”
On Friday night, Anez shared a link to the arrest warrant on social media, which included his name and the names of many of his former cabinet and said it contained allegations of terrorism and sedition against them.
Morales won the 2019 election, but was later annulled after international organizations, including the Organization of American States (OAS), claimed it was fraudulent.
Anez rejected the claim that she helped orchestrate a coup. “It was a constitutional succession due to electoral fraud,” she wrote on Twitter on Friday.
Her 11-month interim administration took Bolivia in an entirely different direction from Morales, and she herself detained some members of Morales’ previous government.
Arce, Morales’ former economy minister, won the presidency in an overwhelming election, allowing Morales to return from exile.
Last week, Morales tweeted in reference to post-election violence in 2019: “For a democracy with human rights, it is important to eradicate acts of violence like those of November 2019 and to investigate violent groups and their regional leaders and bring them to justice . “He did not comment on the arrest of Anez or his ministers.
Bolivian prosecutors are also seeking to arrest two former commanders accused by the current government of involvement in the alleged coup against Morales. The military asked Morales to resign during the 2019 protests.
A prosecutor issued arrest warrants on Thursday for former police chief Yuri Calderón and former Armed Forces commander Williams Kaliman on charges of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy.
(Reporting by Danny Ramos and Monica Machicao; text by Adam Jourdan and Aislinn Laing; edition by Grant McCool, Alexandra Hudson)