Bolivian Tribunal Declares Evo Morales in Rebellion

A tribunal in Tarija, southern Bolivia, declared former President Evo Morales in rebellion on Monday after he and a co-accused failed to appear for the opening of their oral trial on charges of aggravated trafficking of persons. The court reissued an arrest warrant, imposed a nationwide travel ban, ordered preventive annotation of assets and account freezes, and suspended proceedings indefinitely until the defendants appear voluntarily or are detained.

The charges stem from events in 2015, when prosecutors allege Morales, then president, maintained a relationship with a 15-year-old girl in Tarija who gave birth in 2016. Authorities claim the girl's parents consented in exchange for political and economic favors. The co-accused is Idelsa Pozo Saavedra, identified as the mother of the alleged victim and also declared in rebellion. Prosecutors from the Tarija departmental office say they have compiled more than 170 pieces of evidence, including leaked images and text messages from 2020.

The case originated in 2020 during the interim government of Jeanine Áñez but was shelved months later under President Luis Arce. It reopened in September or October 2024 amid tensions between Arce...