Laura Gamba Fadul
12 May 2026•Update: 12 May 2026
Tensions reached a breaking point in Bolivia on Monday as supporters of former President Evo Morales warned they would “throw the country into turmoil” following a court’s decision to declare the leader in contempt and renew a warrant for his arrest.
The trial, centered on allegations of aggravated human trafficking and statutory rape, was suspended indefinitely. The public prosecutor’s office said proceedings cannot resume until Morales appears in court or is forcibly detained by law enforcement.
Morales, who governed Bolivia from 2006 to 2019, has remained in the Chapare coca-growing region, his primary political and union stronghold, since October 2024. Thousands of farmers currently stand guard around the perimeter to prevent a police raid.
“They think that by arresting Evo Morales, they will succeed in quelling and demobilizing the movement. They are very much mistaken,” coca grower leader Dieter Mendoza said on Kawsachun Coca radio. “If they touch Evo Morales, this will cause an upheaval ... there will be an insurgency across Bolivia.” Mendoza urged residents of the Cochabamba Tropics to remain on “high alert” and “ready for battle.”
The prosecution alleges that while in office, Morales had a relationship with a 15-year-old girl that resulted in the birth of a daughter. According to case files, the girl's parents allegedly consented to the relationship in exchange for benefits.
Luis Gutierrez, the lead prosecutor, confirmed Monday that the trial is frozen until Morales and the victim's mother “appear or are brought in by law enforcement.” He emphasized that the responsibility now lies solely with police to execute the warrants.
The judiciary confirmed Morales's status as a fugitive on Monday, issuing fresh arrest warrants and orders prohibiting him from leaving the country. These measures reinforce similar orders that have been in effect since he first failed to appear for a pretrial hearing in January 2025.
The legal team for Morales, the nation’s first indigenous president, has argued that he did not appear on Monday because they had not been “properly notified,” claiming the court used a public notice in print media rather than sending a summons to the former leader's residence.
Morales and his allies have rejected the charges, characterizing the case as “judicial persecution” orchestrated by the government of President Rodrigo Paz to prevent him from returning to power.
