The dismissed general commander of the Bolivian Army Juan José Zuñiga will be prosecuted for the crimes of terrorism and armed uprising, his lawyer Steven Orellana reported this Friday and added that the precautionary hearing is scheduled for this afternoon.
According to the criteria of
“He claimed the right to remain silent, but the Prosecutor’s Office has already issued the formal charge of terrorism and armed uprising”Orellana briefly told the media at the headquarters of the Special Force to Fight Crime (FELCC) in the city of La Paz.
The preliminary hearing against Zuñiga, former Navy Commander Juan Arnez and military officer Edison Alejandro Irahola will be held this Friday at 2 pm local time (i.e. 1 pm in Colombia), the lawyer said.
Zuñiga was captured this Wednesday, minutes after leading an alleged “coup attempt” against the government of President Luis Arce.
Along with him, 16 other soldiers were arrested and are also being prosecuted by the Prosecutor’s Office.
During his arrest, Zuñiga told the press that it was President Arce himself who ordered him to take out “the armored vehicles” as a strategy to “raise his popularity.”
This Friday, The Minister of Government (Interior), Eduardo del Castillo, publicly presented four other soldiers who were captured, including the one who drove the tank that tried to force its way into the headquarters of the Executive, in the city of La Paz.
The minister also reported that Air Force General Marcelo Zegarra is in custody and a special “investigation” is being carried out.
Coup or self-coup in Bolivia?
The military takeover of Bolivia’s political centre was not a “coup d’état” or a “self-coup” but rather an “insubordination” by the dismissed army commander, Juan José Zuñiga, who saw his promotion in jeopardy, security and defence expert Omar Durán told EFE.
According to Durán, Zuñiga was to be promoted by the Luis Arce government to “general of force”, but was left as “general of division”, and he considered that this motivated the military action on Wednesday, when a group of heavily armed soldiers led by the now ex-commander took over the Murillo plaza in La Paz, seat of the Executive and Legislative branches.
“It was an act of indiscipline taken by an Army commander who at the time was affected by the issue of his promotion,” he emphasized.
Durán assured that Zuñiga “wanted to reach the highest level” and the following year be the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, since he had “paid all his obeisance” to President Arce and “felt betrayed” when he learned that he would be removed from office. post.
He also considered that it was a “blunder” by Arce to have named Zuñiga commander of the Army because “he did not have the characteristics” to assume that responsibility.
It was an act of indiscipline by an Army commander who at the time was affected by the issue of his promotion.
The president “should not appoint one of the last in his class because he had no aspirations, he had no command,” he remarked.
“Today it is not known if it was a coup or a self-coup. What I am sure of militarily is that it is an act of indiscipline,” said Durán, who is a lawyer and a military man on voluntary retirement.
This expert considered that a military coup d’état occurs when “the commander in chief, the three forces (Army, Air and Navy), with some complicity of the Police” participate, in addition to “some social sectors with the support of organizations.” policies”, which did not happen in the end.
Nor can it be considered a “self-coup” because it is not evident that Arce has used political power “to make himself a victim and cause pity in the population.”
Durán pointed out that if Zuñiga’s statement were true, that he met with Arce over the weekend and that the president asked him to increase his popularity and that was why he took out the armored vehicles or tanks, there would be a “recording.”
“Zuñiga has always been dedicated to (military) intelligence, he recorded absolutely everything (…) he must have that recording and if he doesn’t it is simply a lie,” he mentioned.
In Durán’s opinion, due to this “act of indiscipline”, Zuñiga would have to “go on mandatory retirement (be discharged) in the next 10 days” and also go to ordinary justice, an instance in which it is possible that he will be charge for “armed uprising.”
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