Bolivia in crisis after arrest of Fernando Camacho, biggest right-wing leader in the country

Protesters set fire to the prosecutor’s office in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, capital of Bolivia’s largest province, in protest against the arrest of Governor Fernando Camacho. The national government in La Paz condemned the violence on Thursday and said the detained politician was alive and well.

Authorities are “respecting [the] constitutional rights and human rights” of Camacho, who has not been harmed, Bolivian Justice Minister Eduardo Del Castillo said on Thursday (29).

Camacho was detained on Wednesday afternoon, allegedly on a warrant citing his involvement in the 2019 coup that toppled President Evo Morales. A video circulating on social media shows heavily armed police surrounding his vehicle and the governor handcuffed to the ground.

The provincial government of Santa Cruz quickly denounced the arrest as an “absolutely irregular police operation”, claiming that Camacho had been taken to “an unknown location” and that they held President Luis Arce personally responsible for his safety.

“The governor’s kidnapping operation was carried out in the streets close to his house, when he was returning from management activities,” said the governor’s office.

Camacho supporters blocked roads, set fire to the provincial prosecutor’s office and stormed Viru Viru and El Trompillo airports, spilling onto runways and boarding several planes to check that the governor was on board.

🚨Bolívia 🇧🇴: Após a prisão do governador de Santa Cruz, Luís Fernando Camacho, milhares de pessoas saíram às ruas exigindo a soltura do governador.
Os manifestantes atearam fogo no prédio da procuradoria de Santa Cruz. O aeroporto e as rodovias também foram bloqueados. pic.twitter.com/EDQCh8XVAi

— Ivan Kleber (@lordivan22) December 29, 2022

Santa Cruz is the largest and most populous province in the landlocked South American country. Camacho became its governor in May 2021 after winning just 14% of the vote in the 2020 presidential race. former president fleeing to Mexico.

Camacho’s scheduled testimony in the investigation was delayed by a general strike he organized in November. His main demand was that the government of La Paz reschedule the census for 2023 so that it could better reflect the population of Santa Cruz and give the province adequate funding and representation.

Morales, who returned to Bolivia but is no longer in office, called Camacho a “confessed coup plotter”, accused him of being responsible for “four deaths, 33 days of looting, fires, human rights violations” and “the worst damage to the economy of Santa Cruz and Bolivia”, resulting from the strike.

With information from Gazeta Brasil