The three alleged leaders of the failed military coup were held in custody for six months in Bolivia.
Former Bolivian National Defense Chief of Staff General Juan José Zuniga, Vice Admiral Juan Arnes and Alejandro Iraola, a former head of a motorized brigade, will remain in custody at a maximum security prison in the El Alto district, near the capital La Paz.
“The temporary arrest ordered by the judge undoubtedly sets a precedent and is a good indication that the investigation can continue to advance,” said prosecutor Cesar Siles.
The three senior officers, accused of having intended overthrow elected president Luis Arceface charges of terrorism and participation in armed rebellion against the State, according to the same prosecutor.
The charges carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison, the prosecutor noted on state television.
A total of 21 people, active and retired military and civilians, were detained in the investigation into the coup attempt, during which soldiers, supported by tanks, surrounded the presidential palace for hours before finally retreating.
General Zuniga said he acted on orders from the president, who he said asked him to stage the coup attempt to “increase his popularity.”
Mr. Arce, in turn, categorically denied: “How can someone order or plan a coup against themselves? (…) He acted of his own free will.”
A new period of political turmoil
With this failed military coup, Bolivia entered a new period of political turmoil, in a context of serious economic crisis.
The Latin American country’s presidential elections in 2025 are fueling appetite as discontent grows within the ranks of the military and many citizens resent rising prices and shortages in a country whose mineral resources, especially gas and lithium, are attracting interest abroad.
With just over a year left in his term, which began in 2020, Arce has many open fronts.
Bolivia: The double crisis behind the coup attempt and the role of Morales
Especially in the political field, as part of his party, the Movement to Socialism (MAS), he remains faithful to former president Evo Morales (2006-2019), who wants to be the candidate of the faction he created.
Evo Morales, the first indigenous person to become head of state and govern for three terms, intends to return to power, despite a decision by the Constitutional Court prohibiting him from doing so because he served more terms than the basic law provides for. The interested party opposes this decision, characterizing it as “political”.
Morales yesterday called for an investigation, questioning the official version of events: “A coup begins, ministers take joyful walks in Murillo Square, play on tanks; a coup without a single victim, without a single shot, without a single death,” he said. he flew during a press conference. He also called on his supporters to mobilize to defend democracy, without ever mentioning Mr. Arce’s name.
Sources: AFP, APE-MPE