Bolivia Deeply Unsettled as Morales Arrest Warrant Renewed

(MENAFN) Bolivia teetered on the brink of civil unrest Monday as allies of former President Evo Morales issued stark warnings of nationwide chaos following a court's decision to hold the ex-leader in contempt and reinstate an active warrant for his arrest.

The trial, built on charges of aggravated human trafficking and statutory rape, has been suspended indefinitely. Prosecutors confirmed proceedings cannot resume unless Morales voluntarily presents himself before the court or is physically apprehended by law enforcement.

Morales, who held the presidency from 2006 to 2019, has been entrenched in the Chapare coca-growing region — his core political and union base — since October 2024. Thousands of farmers have formed a human perimeter around the area to repel any potential police incursion.

"They think that by arresting Evo Morales, they will succeed in quelling and demobilizing the movement. They are very much mistaken," coca grower leader Dieter Mendoza said on Kawsachun Coca radio. "If they touch Evo Morales, this will cause an upheaval ... there will be an insurgency across Bolivia." Mendoza urged residents of the Cochabamba Tropics to remain on "high alert" and "ready for battle."

At the heart of the prosecution's case is the allegation that while in office, Morales engaged in a relationship with a 15-year-old girl that produced a daughter. Court documents suggest the girl's parents allegedly gave their consent in exchange for personal benefits.

Lead prosecutor Luis Gutierrez confirmed Monday that the trial remains frozen until Morales and the victim's mother "appear or are brought in by law enforcement," stressing that the burden of executing the outstanding warrants now rests entirely with police.

Bolivia's judiciary formally designated Morales a fugitive Monday, issuing fresh arrest warrants and exit bans barring him from leaving the country — measures that reinforce similar orders in place since he first failed to appear at a pretrial hearing in January 2025.

Morales' legal team argued their client's absence was justified, claiming they had not been "properly notified" of Monday's proceedings and that the court had resorted to publishing a public notice in print media rather than delivering a summons directly to the former leader.

Bolivia's first indigenous president and his inner circle have dismissed the charges outright, framing the entire case as "judicial persecution" engineered by the administration of President Rodrigo Paz to permanently bar Morales from reclaiming political power.

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