Bolivian senator accused of terrorism and incitement to commit a crime is arrested

Suspended alternate senator Nilton Condori, a critic of the Rodrigo Paz government, was arrested this Sunday in a case involving alleged terrorism and incitement to commit a crime, in a legal process in which former Bolivian president Evo Morales is also accused.

Condori’s apprehension occurred when a political meeting he had convened to form a united “left-wing” bloc was scheduled, to which Morales (2006-2019) and the Vice President of Bolivia, Edmand Lara, among other leaders of the popular movement, were invited.

The legislator’s arrest was confirmed by the presidential spokesperson, José Luis Gálvez, in statements to the local station Panamericana.

The case corresponds to a complaint filed two weeks ago by the deputy of the ruling Christian Democratic Party (PDC) Manolo Rojas, regarding a previous meeting held in the Tropic of Cochabamba region (center), a political stronghold of Morales, which Condori attended.

At that event, the attendees urged the Peace Government to lift the measure that ordered the elimination of the diesel subsidy, along with other measures that, according to Morales, had to be implemented by hook or by crook, in addition to announcing mobilizations.

“The apprehension of Senator Nilton Condori marks the beginning of a path against impunity. Let those who thought they were untouchable tremble,” wrote Rojas on his social media along with a photograph of the arrest warrant issued by the Prosecutor’s Office.

For its part, the Vice Presidency of Bolivia expressed in a statement its “concern” regarding the detention of the parliamentarian and maintained that “political dissent, criticism, and different thinking cannot be grounds for retaliation“.

Condori gained relevance for organizing the auction of a family bull to fund a campaign aimed at demanding that Bolivian legislators cut their salaries in half.

He also joined the sectors that between May and June organized protests and road blockades with the slogan of achieving Paz’s resignation from the Presidency. For this reason, he was reported to the Senate ethics committee, which decided on his eight-month suspension in August.

The suspended senator, a dissident of the Unity alliance, gained notoriety for his controversial proposal to “execute by firing squad” those he considered “corrupt” or members of “idle” elites if he were to become president of Bolivia.