Bolivia coup attempt: ex-army chief given six months 'preventive detention', says prosecutor

Source: The Guardian

Bolivia coup attempt: ex-army chief given six months ‘preventive detention’, says prosecutor

Juan José Zúñiga Macías has been handed charges of terrorism and armed uprising, says prosecutor, as president again rejects claims of ‘self-coup’ to boost popularity

Guardian staff and agencies
Sat 29 Jun 2024 03.33 BST

A Bolivian former army chief accused of leading a failed coup attempt has been given six months “preventive detention”, a top prosecutor said on Friday, as the president again denied the attack was a “self-coup” designed to boost his flagging popularity.

General Juan José Zúñiga Macías has been handed charges of terrorism and armed uprising, state prosecutor Cesar Siles said. Zúñiga has said he was following an order from the president, Luis Arce, following Wednesday’s fleeting insurrection in La Paz. In the moments before he was detained, the ex-army chief claimed: “The president told me the situation was fucked and that he needed something to boost his popularity.”.

If Zúñiga is found guilty, the terrorism charge can be punished by 15-20 years in prison, and five to 15 years for armed uprising.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/29/bolivia-coup-attempt-ex-army-chief-given-six-months-preventive-detention-says-prosecutor