– Suspected leaders of failed coup in detention
Bolivian justice announced this Friday that it had placed in pre-trial detention those presumed responsible for the failed coup d’état.
A demonstration to demand the incarceration of military leader and alleged coup leader Juan Jose Zuniga, in La Paz, Bolivia, June 28, 2024.
AFP
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The three alleged leaders of the failed coup d’état in Bolivia have been placed in pre-trial detention for a period of six months by the courts, the prosecution announced on Friday. General Juan José Zuniga, former head of the army, Vice Admiral Juan Arnez, former head of the navy, and Alejandro Irahola, former head of the army’s mechanized brigade, will be incarcerated in a high security prison located on the outskirts of El Alto, a city close to La Paz.
“This pre-trial detention ordered by the judge will undoubtedly set a precedent, and constitutes a good signal so that the investigation can continue to move forward,” said prosecutor Cesar Siles. The three officers suspected of trying to overthrow President Luis Arce on Wednesday are accused of armed uprising and terrorism and face sentences of up to 20 years in prison, the magistrate said on state television.
A new period of political turbulence
A total of 21 active, retired and civilian military personnel were arrested in connection with the attempted coup, in which troops equipped with tanks besieged the presidential palace for several hours before retreating. General Zuniga claimed to have acted on orders from the president who asked him to “stage something to increase his popularity”. Luis Arce vigorously denied: “How could anyone order or plan a self-coup? (…) He acted on his own initiative.”
With this failed coup, Bolivia enters a new period of political turbulence against a backdrop of economic crisis. The 2025 presidential election whets appetites, while unease reigns within the military institution against a backdrop of popular discontent over rising prices and shortages in a country whose gas and lithium resources are attracting international interest.
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