Former Bolivian President Jeanine Anez has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for assuming power in a “coup” against her left-wing predecessor, Evo Morales, in 2019.
The court in La Paz found Anez guilty of making “decisions contrary to the constitution” and of “dereliction of duty.”
Her defense team and supporters argued that the trial was politically motivated and that she had been denied her rights. Anez’s lawyer, Luis Guillen, promised to appeal the verdict and seek justice in “international organizations.”
Justice Minister Ivan Lima rejected the allegations of political prosecution. “We are a government that respects the rules of due process, and that extends democratic rule to all political actors,” he said in a comment to the New York Times.
As deputy speaker of the Senate, Anez was appointed interim president by parliament in November 2019 after Morales resigned and fled Bolivia amidst protests over alleged vote-rigging. Lawmakers from Morales’ Movement for Socialism (MAS) party boycotted the session.