Groups of farmers blocked, this Monday 14th, two important roads in Bolivia, in the face of the threat of arrest of their leader, the former president Evo Moralesinvestigated for the alleged abuse of a minor when he was in power.
Since the morning, traffic on the routes connecting the department of Cochabamba (center) with those of Santa Cruz (east) and Chuquiasca (southeast) has been interrupted by protesters, according to the state-owned Administradora Boliviana de Carreteras (ABC).
Leading the protest is the Unity Pact (Pacto de Unidad), a group of organizations close to the 64-year-old former president, who mobilized “to protect the freedom, integrity and (prevent) the kidnapping” of Evoas announced in a manifesto.
Police are positioned on sections of blocked roads.
The former president is being investigated for the crimes of “rape, trafficking and human smuggling”. In press conference on the 4thhe said that the accusations made by the Minister of Justice, Cesar Silesdo not correspond to the truth.
“I cannot understand what kind of Minister of Justice we have, knowing that this case is closed, because nothing happened, it is a lie,” he stated.
Last Thursday, Evo did not respond to a summons from the Tarija department prosecutor’s office to give a statement, which could have led the authorities to order his arrest.
With information from AFP.
