Right-wing Bolivian opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho has been released from jail after spending nearly three years in pretrial detention for his role in unrest that led to the 2019 ouster of then left-wing President Evo Morales.
As the political right’s momentum accelerates ahead of a presidential election run-off in October, Camacho returned to a hero’s welcome in the eastern province of Santa Cruz after his release on Friday from a maximum-security prison near La Paz.
Thousands of supporters waved the city’s green and white flags as he walked down an avenue to the main square, where the governor’s office is located.
Camacho addressed supporters who had gathered: “It has been an honour to be imprisoned for almost three years, for the struggle of my people and for democracy.”
He then entered the governor’s office to take over from deputy governor Mario Aguilera, who had been in charge of the department in his absence.
Camacho’s release comes after Bolivia‘s Supreme Court last week issued a rare ruling ordering all judges to review the legality of pretrial detention in the cases of three prominent right-wing leaders, including Camacho.
The 46-year-old conservative lawyer and businessman was arrested in December 2022 on charges of fomenting a coup in 2019 against Morales, the country’s first Indigenous president, who had governed since 2006. The arrest sparked countrywide protests, with many Bolivians dismissing the alleged coup as fictitious.
Morales stepped down after losing the support of the military amid strikes and protests in response to his disputed election to a fourth term.
Camacho led violent protests over Morales’s re-election claim.
His imprisonment has been a rallying cause for the Bolivian right, which is poised to win back the presidency after two decades, in October’s run-off.
Camacho has been placed under house arrest while the investigation into him continues, but his lawyers said that did not prevent him from working.
In addition to the ongoing investigation over the alleged coup, which was spearheaded by the outgoing socialists, Camacho also has three other pending cases – for instigating a strike, alleged public procurement irregularities, and alleged irregular staffing appointments in the governor’s office.
Meanwhile, Bolivia’s highest court late on Friday threw out criminal charges against former interim President Jeanine Anez over her role in the 2019 killings of protesters, ordering the flashpoint case to restart in a special process for alleged crimes committed by former heads of state.
The contentious decision marked a legal victory for the opposition leader, who has spent almost four and a half years in prison on different charges related to the 2019 ouster of Morales, following his disputed reelection.
The sudden developments come just weeks after Bolivia’s general election boosted the opposition for the first time in decades, raising concerns among critics who see a justice system subject to political manipulation.
The run-off presidential election in October pits a centrist pro-business senator against a right-wing former president.
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