The governor of the Santa Cruz region in Bolivia, Luis Fernando Camacho, was arrested by the socialist government of Luis Arce, a successor from the same party as former president Evo Morales.
Camacho was known as the “Brazilian Bolsonaro” for representing the most hard-line opposition to Bolivia’s leftist government.
According to the country’s newspapers reports, Camacho was taken directly from his residence to the capital, La Paz.
Two former Bolivian presidents denounced the abuses committed by the government on their social networks, classifying Camacho’s arrest as a “kidnapping”.
The governor was taken away by the police in a violent manner at noon on Wednesday (Dec. 28) at his residence.
Jorge Tuto Quiroga and Carlos Mesa, both former presidents of the country, have denounced to the international community the arrest of the opposition governor, accused by the government of “terrorism.”
Camacho supported a 36-day strike in the region. Quiroga reported on his social network the “violent arrest” of the governor.
The secretary general of National Unity (UN), Samuel Doria Medina, repudiated Camacho’s arrest.
“The government should be occupied with the economy and not with persecution,” the secretary said.
Former President Carlos Mesa, the leader of the opposition movement Comunidad Ciudadana (CC), considered Camacho’s arbitrary detention a “violent kidnapping” that caused outrage for violating constitutional principles and human rights.
On the other hand, allies of Bolivia’s socialist government celebrated the political arrest of the opponent.
Public Works Minister Edgar Montaño congratulated the police and said he guaranteed that the governor “will answer for the deeds registered in 2019,” referring to the protests that led to the fall of former ruler Evo Morales.
In 2019, when Camacho led conservative opposition protests to MAS, a BBC Brazil report dubbed the activist a “Bolivian Bolsonaro.”
“The Bible is going back to the Government Palace.” Surrounded by the crowd, Luis Fernando Camacho has repeated that phrase for the past three weeks, BBC reported four years ago.