Anies, 54, was also convicted of making “decisions against the constitution” and breach of duty.
A Bolivian court ruled yesterday guilty the former president of the country Janine Anies for the orchestration of a coup that led her to power during the political crisis of 2019.
Anies was sentenced to 10 years in prison. A former army commander and a former high-ranking police officer were also found guilty.
Anies, 54, was also convicted of making “decisions against the constitution” and breach of duty.
Prosecutors say Anies, then a right-wing senator, violated the rules guaranteeing constitutional and democratic order after Bolivia’s 2019 presidential election.
Anies’s defense said it would appeal to international bodies for justice and many opposition figures are planning demonstrations during the decision.
Bolivia is divided over whether a coup took place when then-president Evo Morales resigned in 2019, with Anies taking over the presidency amid a power vacuum. Morales’s resignation came amid mass protests over the disputed election result, which were reportedly rigged.
The same Anies declares her innocence. She was not allowed to appear in court in person and instead attended the proceedings and participated in it from prison. He was remanded in custody in March 2021, charged with terrorism, sedition and conspiracy.
Proponents say her trial is illegal and politically motivated.
“I did not seek to become president, but I did what I had to do. “I took over the presidency out of obligation, in accordance with what is provided in the constitution,” Anies said in her final statement to the court.
