Farmers who follow the former president Evo Morales This Tuesday (15), roadblocks in Bolivia were intensified to prevent the likely arrest of their leader, who is being investigated for the alleged abuse of a minor during his term in office in 2015.
With stones and dirt, protesters blocked traffic on the highways that connect Cochabamba, in the center of the country, with the cities of La Paz, Sucre (south) and Santa Cruz (east), according to the state-owned Bolivian Highway Authority (ABC).
This Tuesday, ABC reported two new blocked routes, in addition to the three on Monday.
In Paratono, a town that connects Cochabamba with La Paz, clashes between civilians and Morales supporters and the police were recorded for the second consecutive day, with no injuries confirmed.
Civilians used stones, fireworks and bonfires, and police responded with tear gas, according to images from Unitel television.
Protests to protect Morales began on Monday, a day that ended with at least six arrested.
At the forefront of the blockades is the Unity Pact (Pacto de Unidad), a coalition of organizations close to the 64-year-old former president, which is mobilizing “to protect the freedom, integrity and (prevent) the kidnapping” of Morales, as announced in a manifesto.
The government called for talks with Morales on Monday, but to no avail.
Morales, the first indigenous person to govern Bolivia between 2006 and 2019, is being investigated for the crimes of “rape and human trafficking”.
On Thursday, he failed to comply with a subpoena from the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Tarija department to testify, which could have led authorities to order his arrest.
Now an opponent of the government of his former minister Luis Arce, the former president calls the case “yet another lie” that was investigated and archived by the judicial system in 2020.
