Jeanine Añez, after proclaiming herself de facto president of Bolivia, with a bible in her hand. Luis Fernando Camacho is next to her (left) holding a bigger bible. Photo: PA Images.
Caracas, December 29, 2022 (OrinocoTribune.com)—Luis Fernando Camacho, head of Bolivia’s far-right party Creemos, was arrested for his involvement in the coup d’état against Evo Morales in 2019. In addition to his participation in the Morales coup, Camacho instigated a violent 36-day strike in the city of Santa Cruz earlier this year. Protestors cited the government’s rescheduling a national census as the reason for those riots.
EstefanĂa Morales, legislator of Bolivia’s governing party, the Movement for Socialism-Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples (MAS-IPSP), had made three prior requests to Santa Cruz’s highest legal authority on the 2022 violent protests and strike. In the second request, Morales had asked Camacho to provide information regarding financial processes carried out by the governorship during 2022.
President of Bolivia Calls for Unity to Defeat Coup Attempts
On December 7, EstefanĂa Morales and other members of the MAS-IPSP sent a report to the Commission for Territorial Organization of the State and Autonomies requesting that Camacho deliver details regarding services provided to the government of Santa Cruz during the 36 days of the strike.
Article 135 of Bolivia’s Autonomy Law states that “all the authorities of the autonomous governments are obliged to appear personally to provide the information required by the Legislative Assembly.”
Bolivia's Attorney General's Office states that Luis Fernando Camacho was apprehended today on an arrest warrant related to the "Golpe de Estado I" case in which Camacho was investigated with his full knowledge. pic.twitter.com/DaUhftdCS2
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) December 28, 2022
Contrary to claims by mainstream media alleging that Camacho was arbitrarily detained, the arrest was carried out following the release of an arrest warrant, as confirmed by Bolivia’s Office of the Attorney General. The statement clarifies that Camacho’s arrest was made following an arrest warrant for his responsibility in the “Coup D’Etat 1” case that refers to the coup against Evo Morales in 2019.
The statement also points out that the far-right politician was notified about the procedure since its initiation on November 28, 2020.
Camacho leads the ultra-conservative Catholic opposition to Bolivia’s governing party, which is centered in Santa Cruz, the country’s largest city, and capital of the Santa Cruz Department. Camacho was of the most visible heads of the coup against former President Evo Morales and of the MAS’s various policies that favor plurinational, antiracist, and socialist aims. Camacho ran in the country’s most recent presidential elections, receiving only 14% of the popular vote and losing in every department except his home of Santa Cruz. Camacho’s political alignment has been described as neo-fascist, ultra-conservative, or social conservative.
In 2021, Camacho was elected governor of Santa Cruz department. Camacho was also under investigation for issues related to the payment of taxes.
Camacho was called to defend himself against the accusation of terrorism for promoting the strike in demand of a national census for 2023. During this strike, the nascent issue of Santa Cruz separatism arose once again.
Celebration, misinformation and far-right violence
In response to a media disinformation campaign claiming that the controversial far-right politician’s physical integrity had been compromised following his arrest, Bolivia’s minister for the interior, Eduardo Del Castillo, stated that Bolivian authorities were conducting a routine assessment of Camacho’s physical and mental health.
Del Castillo wrote: “We inform the Bolivian people that, after the apprehension of Luis Fernando Camacho, we instructed that the corresponding medical evaluation be carried out, respecting constitutional rights and human rights, as we do with any person deprived of liberty.”
Social movements in La Paz, Bolivia, are celebrating the arrest of coup leader Fernando Camacho. pic.twitter.com/M5lKCugvBv
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) December 28, 2022
Meanwhile, in La Paz, Indigenous and ordinary Bolivians celebrated the incarceration of the far-right politician, as reported by Kawsachun News on its social media accounts: “Social movements in La Paz, are celebrating the arrest of coup leader Fernando Camacho.”
Far-right followers of Camacho simultaneously launched a wave of violence in Santa Cruz, resulting in the near destruction of the court house.
Aerial images of the Palacio de Justicia this morning after it was attacked last night by criminal groups linked to Governor Luis Fernando Camacho (Santa Cruz). đŸ“¸ AFP pic.twitter.com/Yqds38S5f2
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) December 29, 2022
“This is the result of riots last night in Santa Cruz, Bolivia,” reported Bolivia’s Kawsachun News. “Fascist groups set fire to the prosecutor’s office to protest against the arrest of the leader, Fernando Camacho.” The report showed photos of the destruction caused by violent Camacho supporters.
Special by Orinoco Tribune staff
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