LA PAZ (Reuters) -A Bolivian court on Wednesday ordered house arrest for right-wing opposition politician Luis Fernando Camacho, who has been jailed since 2022 without a sentence, his lawyer told local media.
Camacho was accused of “terrorism” for his participation in events during Bolivia’s 2019 political crisis, a time in which then-President Evo Morales resigned amid allegations of electoral fraud.
Camacho also faced charges related to a strike he led in 2022.
Last week, Bolivia’s Supreme Court of Justice ordered a review of Camacho’s case, noting that pretrial detention in Bolivia cannot exceed six months.
Camacho led some of the demonstrations demanding that Morales leave power in 2019.
The following year, he ran for president in the first elections after Morales’ exit, finishing in third place. In 2021 he was elected governor of Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s wealthiest region and a bastion of opposition to the Movement for Socialism (MAS) ruling party.
“The judicial authority has ordered the end of preventive detention against Governor Luis Fernando Camacho and has replaced it with precautionary measures, including house arrest,” lawyer Martin Camacho said on Wednesday. He added that he expected Camacho to be moved on Friday to Santa Cruz.
(Reporting by Daniel Ramos; Writing by Daniel Ramos and Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Daina Beth Solomon)
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