Bolivia Protests: Opposition Governor’s Arrest Stirs Anger

Violent protests have broken out in Bolivia following the arrest of a powerful opposition politician.

Luis Fernando Camacho, the right-wing governor of Santa Cruz province, was detained by armed police in an operation that his supporters said resembled “a kidnapping.”

Mr Camacho spearheaded the protests which led to the resignation of left-wing former president Evo Morales.

The governor is one of the most divisive politicians in Bolivia.

From his power base in Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s wealthiest province, he has led lengthy and disruptive protests against the current left-wing government of Luis Arce as well as that of former president Evo Morales.

The state attorney’s office said Mr Camacho, 43, was arrested as part of an investigation into the events which led to President Morales’s departure from office in 2019, which it described as a “coup d’état.”

An arrest warrant issued in October says he is facing charges of “terrorism,” without giving further details.

He was arrested on Wednesday in an operation which has drawn criticism from his followers.

“People dressed in black with black guns got out and they started hitting the windows. They didn’t even tell us to get out, they just hit them with the back part of the weapons.” Reports said

Video from the scene showed one of the car windows was broken and witnesses said “Mr Camacho was beaten before being thrown on to the ground and handcuffed while his security detail was tear gassed.”

He was quickly transferred by helicopter to La Paz where he spent the night in a police cell.

In a statement released by his office, Mr Camacho said he had been “brutally kidnapped” and dismissed the allegations against him as ‘lacking truth and credibility.’

BBC /Shakirat Sadiq