NewsA Bolivian criminal court judge ordered the arrest of former President Evo Morales on Friday after he failed to appear at a precautionary measures hearing in an aggravated human trafficking case.
Along with the arrest order, Judge Nelson Rocabado of the Fifth Anti-Corruption and Violence Against Women Criminal Court in Tarija, Bolivia, imposed national travel restrictions, ordered Morales’ assets frozen, and directed the freezing of his bank accounts.
The hearing was scheduled after Morales missed an initial January 14 appointment with prosecutors, which his legal team attributed to health issues. The judge had given Morales 48 hours to provide proof of his medical condition, but the court ultimately rejected medical certificates claiming bronchopneumonia and bradycardia as justification for his absence and held him in contempt.
Tarija departmental prosecutor Sandra Gutiérrez indicated the prosecution would seek immediate processing of the new arrest warrant through the court secretary, local sources confirmed.
This marks the second arrest warrant issued against the former president in this case, as prosecutors previously sought his detention in October 2024 during the investigation phase to compel his testimony.
The Public Ministry formally charged Morales in October 2024 under Article 281 bis of Bolivia’s Criminal Code, which criminalizes human trafficking. The investigation centers on allegations that Morales initiated a relationship with a minor in 2015 while serving as president. Prosecutors alleged the relationship resulted in the birth of a child the following year. Court documents suggest the minor’s parents enrolled her in Morales’ “youth guard,” seeking political advancement and benefits.
Morales’ defense team maintains his innocence, characterizing the charges as political persecution and announcing plans to file a constitutional protection action while pursuing disciplinary proceedings against Judge Rocabado. The United Confederation of Rural Workers’ Unions of Bolivia has mobilized significant support for Morales, with over 2,000 people reportedly providing continuous security in the locality of Lauca Ñ to prevent the execution of any arrest warrant.
The case unfolds amid political tensions between Morales and current President Luis Arce, his former minister and ally. Their relationship deteriorated into a struggle for control of the ruling party and the left’s presidential candidacy as Morales has expressed interest in running in the upcoming August presidential elections. Morales claimed these charges represent a “brutal legal warfare” orchestrated by Arce’s government to prevent his political participation. His presidential aspirations, however, had already faced a significant setback when Bolivia’s Constitutional Court issued Constitutional Order 0083/2024 ECA in November 2024, which effectively restricted Morales’ ability to seek reelection.
The current legal proceedings trace back to broader political shifts in Bolivia. Morales stepped down in November 2019 amid allegations of electoral fraud in a controversial fourth-term bid, following calls for his resignation from military and police commanders. Following an interim government led by opposition lawmaker Jeanine Áñez, Luis Arce won the presidency in October 2020. During Morales’ nearly 14-year presidency, Human Rights Watch documented a significant weakening of judicial independence and the filing of politically motivated charges against opposition figures.
