Bolivia: After the defeat of the official left in the elections, the justice system lifts the preventive imprisonment of two opponents considered political prisoners

On Tuesday, a court in La Paz, capital of Bolivia, ordered the house arrest of Luis Fernando Camacho, governor of Santa Cruz and one of the main opposition referents to the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), and the release of Marco Antonio Pumari, two leaders considered political prisoners by much of the international community.

Both were serving preventive detention for more than two years within the case known as "Coup d'Etat I," which was linked to the protests that led to the resignation of Evo Morales in 2019, following allegations of electoral fraud. The lifting of the preventive detention comes after the historic defeat of the Bolivian left in the elections on August 17, in which two opposition candidates, Senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira and former President Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, advanced to the runoff.

The Sixth Anticorruption Sentencing Court ruled that Camacho must serve house arrest with a work permit in his region, Santa Cruz, while Pumari was definitively released. The decision follows the Supreme Court of Justice's order for the immediate review of the procedural deadlines, which in both cases considerably exceeded the six months established by Bolivian law.

Both Camacho and Pumari led the 2019 civil protests, denouncing electoral fraud by former President Evo Morales in the presidential elections, which were questioned by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the European Union. After 21 days of consecutive protests, Morales finally submitted his resignation, preceded by a police riot and the suggestion of resignation from the military high command.

Despite Morales' resignation, his party, MAS, quickly returned to power thanks to the candidacy of Luis Arce. Since then, Arce led a political process that continued Morales' line and turned Bolivia into a political, social and economic crisis. In fact, both Morales and Arce have been accused of deteriorating institutions, concentrating power and using the justice system to silence opponents.

Camacho has another hearing scheduled for Wednesday, as part of the case regarding the 36-day strike in Santa Cruz.