Bolivia: security forces gas Camacho's supporters
The governor of Santa Cruz continues to be detained in a prison in La Paz and is in poor health, according to his sources.
Following the illegal arrest of Luis Fernando Camacho, the governor of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, last Wednesday, protests against the extreme left-wing regime of Luis Arce increased in the region. Bolivian security forces responded to protesters with tear gas and violence, leaving dozens injured and hundreds arrested.
Several public buildings were attacked by Camacho's supporters, according to the Ministry of Government. The demonstrators blame the damage on counter-protesters who support Arce.
Camacho remains in prison with very poor conditions
Meanwhile, Camacho continues to be held in terrible conditions in the maximum security prison of Chonchocoro, some 20 miles from La Paz, according to sources. The Bolivian courts sentenced the governor of Santa Cruz to four months in prison after he was investigated for his alleged involvement in the so-called "coup d'état" of 2019, which led former President Evo Morales to resign from office.
Through social media, Camacho's colleagues published a handwritten letter from the governor of Santa Cruz himself in which he assures that he will continue to fight against Arce's Marxist regime:
Camacho, who suffers from a chronic disease that affects his veins and arteries, added that whatever happens to him will be the responsibility of Arce and his government:
"His life is at risk"
Senator Henry Montero, Camacho's colleague, assured that the governor is in a delicate state of health, to such an extent that there are fears for his life:
Montero also pointed out that "he has altered vital signs and nosebleeds... His arteries and veins are inflamed, he already has damage at pulmonary level, even more so at altitude."
International condemnation
Jorge Tuto Quiroga and Carlos de Mesa, two former presidents of Bolivia, signed a letter together with other political representatives of the country in which they point out that Camacho's arrest is "a fact of the utmost gravity for the future of our democracy."
Numerous former presidents of Latin American countries such as Andrés Pastrana, Mauricio Macri or Felipe Calderón condemned the "detentions and prosecutions of political opponents" and urged different American organizations to "urgently take the necessary steps for the arbitrary detention of Governor Camacho."
Arce in Brazil
In the midst of the wave of tension generated by the arrest of Camacho, Luis Arce was present this Sunday at the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the new president of Brazil.