Following the arrest of the regional governor, a right-wing opposition leader, protesters in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz, a comparatively prosperous farming region, have assaulted buildings, burnt cars, and blocked highways as part of a 24-hour strike on Friday.
As dusk fell, demonstrators set tires and automobiles on fire and threw fireworks at police, who then deployed tear gas to attempt and disperse the gathering.
In a tweet, Pedro Vaca, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ (IACHR) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, reported receiving allegations of “serious attacks” on the media that were allegedly carried out by police deployments.
I urge the authorities to publicly advise their representatives on the need to uphold freedoms of the press, peaceful assembly, and association, the man stated.
Peaceful protestors had blocked roads with tires, rocks, and flags stretched across streets throughout the city during the day.
The protests represent the most recent confrontation between the socialist government of President Luis Arce and Santa Cruz, which is being led by Governor Luis Fernando Camacho.
A “terrorist” indictment was brought against Mr. Camacho on Wednesday due to his alleged role in the 2019 political instability that caused then-President Evo Morales to abandon the country.
He was moved to a maximum security prison early on Friday morning after being sentenced to four months of pretrial custody late on Thursday.
Insisting on his innocence, Mr. Camacho described his detention and transfer to La Paz, the nation’s capital, as an abduction.
Prosecutors denied that the arrest had any political or abduction undertones.
The governor, a civic figure who called on Mr. Morales to resign in 2019, came to represent the right-wing opposition movement.
The media team for Mr. Camacho stated on Twitter on Friday morning that the aftermath of the contentious election “was not a coup, it was fraud.”
Additionally, Mr. Camacho oversaw weeks-long demonstrations that disrupted trade from the area through last month in an effort to persuade the government to postpone a census that would likely increase Santa Cruz’s political representation and tax income.
Though some military soldiers were dispersed across Santa Cruz late on Thursday, the administration has not yet indicated how it will react to the blockages on Friday.
Government-allied gangs and Camacho supporters engaged in deadly combat during the most recent round of protests.
While Mr. Camacho was still in jail, some businesses declared they would halt sales.
