United States asks for release of Áñez and other politicians detained in Bolivia

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, called this Saturday, March 27, 2021, for the release of the former Bolivian interim president Jeanine Áñez and two of her former ministers, and expressed his concern for the “signs of anti-democratic behavior” in Bolivia.

In a statement, Blinken expressed the strongest reaction yet from U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to the arrest two weeks ago of the three Bolivian politicians on charges of “sedition, terrorism, and conspiracy.”

“The United States is deeply concerned about the growing indications of undemocratic behavior and the politicization of the legal system in Bolivia, following the recent arrest and pre-trial detention of former officials of the interim government,” the U.S. foreign minister said.

Without directly mentioning Áñez or the detained former ministers, Álvaro Coimbra and Rodrigo Guzmán, the head of U.S. diplomacy, referred at all times to the “former officials” or former officials of the interim government that emerged after what the current Bolivian Executive considers the 2019 coup d’état.

“We call on the Bolivian government to make clear its support for peace, democracy, and national reconciliation by releasing the detained former officials while an independent and transparent investigation into human rights and due process concerns unfolds,” Blinken said.

He added that these arrests “are not consistent with Bolivia’s democratic ideals” and “discredit the extraordinary efforts of so many Bolivian voters, candidates and public workers” who made the October 2020 elections and this month’s subnational polls a “democratic success.”

Blinken added that there are doubts about the “legality” of the aforementioned arrests because they are “based on unproven charges, because of the apparent due process violations in their execution, and because of the deeply politicized nature of the Bolivian government’s oversight work.”

The head of U.S. diplomacy emphasized that he still trusts maintaining a “robust and mutually respectful relationship” with the government of Bolivia, Luis Arce, and the authorities and the Bolivian demonstrators act in this case with “peace, restraint, and respect”.

He also assured that his position coincided with “the European Union (EU), the Bolivian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Bolivian and international human rights organizations”.

Blinken’s position comes almost two weeks after the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, called for the release of Áñez and the two former ministers, in part because he considers that the “Bolivian judicial system is not in a position to provide the minimum guarantees of fair trial and impartiality”.

During a meeting this week in Mexico, both Arce and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador urged Almagro not to intervene in countries’ internal affairs.

Áñez and members of his Cabinet are accused of “sedition and terrorism” during the 2019 crisis following the failed elections that resulted in Evo Morales’ resignation from Bolivia’s Presidency, which the current Executive considers a coup d’état.

Together with them and two former high-ranking military officers, there are also proceedings against other opposition political leaders and several former military and ex-police officers who Justice wants.

Source: EFE