Bolivian opposition leader released from jail after nearly 3 years in pretrial detention
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho was released from jail on Friday after spending almost three years in pretrial detention for his role in violent unrest that led to the 2019 ouster of then-President Evo Morales.
Days after a court order granted house arrest to Camacho, the conservative Christian politician headed to the airport to return to Bolivia’s prosperous eastern province of Santa Cruz, where he plans to resume his duties as governor for the first time since his 2022 arrest.
Camacho will be confined to his home awaiting trial on charges of sedition and terrorism linked to the violent protests that engulfed Bolivia after the disputed 2019 reelection of Morales, the country’s first Indigenous president who had governed since 2006.
Morales resigned and fled into exile under pressure from the military, paving the way for an interim government backed by Camacho and led by his ally Jeanine Áñez to take over as protests continued.
The 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 two other cases under review are those of former interim leader Áñez and Marco Antonio Pumari, Camacho’s former running mate.
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Associated Press
