Bolivia's Ex-Pres. Jeanine Anez Begins Jail Term Over Alleged Coup

Jeanine Anez took over Bolivia's presidency from Evo Morales in 2019 when the latter resigned from his post after the head of the military asked him to step down amid protests over vote-rigging claims.

The Trump administration back then welcomed Morales' resignation, saying that his departure preserves democracy. On the other hand, the foreign minister of Brazil's far-right government said there was an incident of a coup in Bolivia. And the recent arrest of Jeanine Anez tells a similar story.

According to an Aljazeera report, a judge ordered Anez of four months of preventive detention for her role in Morales' ouster. Anez and two former members of her cabinet were recently arrested and charged with sedition, terrorism, and conspiracy. According to Morales, the events constituted a coup.

Jeanine Anez was a conservative senator before she became the interim president of Bolivia. She was also known to be a longtime critic of leftist Morales before he fled the country during violent election protests.

"I denounce before Bolivia and the world that in an act of abuse and political persecution, the MAS (Movement for Socialism) government has ordered my arrest," she said on Friday, as reported by AFP News. MAS is the left-wing political party led by Morales.

Apart from Anez, former ministers of energy and justice, Rodrigo Guzman and Alvaro Coimbra, were also arrested.

Cases Against Jeanine Anez

Bolivia's Minister of Justice and Institutional Transparency, Ivan Lima, said there would be additional charges against Anez and her cabinet members, citing corruption and human rights violations.

Lima noted that his ministry would request up to 30 years in prison for Anez. Morales was reportedly ousted when he ran for a fourth term in office, which violates the country's term limits.

Morales was the first indigenous president and was widely popular during his 14 years in office. His popularity then declined due to accusations of mismanagement and refusal to give up his position.

Morales won during the 2019 presidential elections, but he was accused of voter fraud, causing nationwide protests. More than 30 supporters of Morales' regime were killed during protests after his resignation.

He then returned to Bolivia from exile and won the election in 2020 through the MAS party he founded. The presidency and congress are reportedly now under the control of MAS, according to another AFP News report.

"I inform the Bolivian people that Mrs. Jeanine Anez has already been apprehended and is currently in the hands of the police," government minister Carlos Eduardo del Castillo said in his Twitter and Facebook posts.

Jeanine Anez wrote letters to the European Union and Organization of American States requesting to send observer missions to follow the case. She denounced her arrest as illegal. Anez noted that she was accused of "having participated in a coup that never happened."

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, said the Bolivian judicial system is not in a position to give the minimum guarantee of a fair trial.

The United Nations, European Union, and the United States have called for the due process to be respected, AFP News reported.

Carlos Mesa, a centrist former Bolivian president, said that Anez's arrest is arbitrary, illegal, and a violation of her human rights.

Congress voted last month to give amnesty to those prosecuted during Anez's presidency for acts of violence following Morales' resignation.

WATCH: Bolivia Ex-President Jeanine Anez Behind Bars Over Alleged Coup - From Al Jazeera English