Bolivia ex-president Áñez says facing arrest in 'coup' probe

Bolivia's ex-interim president Jeanine Áñez said Friday she and several former ministers were facing arrest on terrorism and sedition charges related to an alleged coup against former leader Evo Morales.

Áñez tweeted an arrest order she said was issued by public prosecutor Alcides Mejillones, with the response: "The political persecution has begun."

Áñez, a former senator, took over as president after Morales fled Bolivia in November 2019, having lost the support of the armed forces amid violent protests against his re-election to an unconstitutional fourth term.

Morales returned from exile in November last year, and took over the leadership of the ruling Movement for Socialism (MAS) party he founded.

Last month, Bolivia's socialist-dominated Congress voted to give amnesty to those prosecuted during conservative president Áñez's year-long reign for acts of violence during the chaos that followed Morales' resignation in 2019.

Bolivia's Congress is dominated by the MAS, which romped to victory in an October 2020 general election that saw the party's Luis Arce win the presidency.

MAS party member Lidia Patty claimed in December that Áñez, several of her former ministers, ex-military and police members and others had promoted the overthrow of Morales, who had been in power for 14 years.

– TIMES/AFP