Bolivian prosecutors request immigration alert for ex-president over human trafficking

LA PAZ, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Bolivian prosecutors have requested an immigration alert for former President Evo Morales, who is accused of human trafficking, the Minister of Government Eduardo del Castillo confirmed on Thursday.

The charges, filed on Monday, accuse Morales, who served as president from 2006 to 2019, of involvement in a human trafficking case connected to a 2015 rape investigation. An arrest warrant has also been issued as part of the ongoing probe.

Del Castillo said that the Bolivian Police will comply with the court's decision.

Morales claimed on Tuesday that he is the victim of a "brutal legal war" that seeks to block his candidacy in next year's general election and to hand him over to the United States as a "political trophy." He also accused the authorities of violating constitutional principles of innocence presumption and due process.

Currently, the former president is taking refuge in the Cochabamba tropics, a region where he enjoys strong support from coca growers.

"We have elite security," said Vicente Choque, political secretary of the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba and a follower of Morales. He also warned of possible confrontations should the former president's arrest be carried out. ■