Former Bolivian president Evo Morales has rejected outright the charges of statutory rape and human trafficking against him, alleging that they are politically motivated. Morales is accused of sleeping with a 15-year-old girl in 2016, an act which under Bolivian law is considered to be statutory rape. In comparing DNA samples taken from both the alleged victim’s baby and himself last October, however, his enemies remain determined to win.
This year, Evo Morales was charged with human trafficking and aggravated gender violence; both crimes are punishable under Bolivian law. The charges stem from a 2016 act involving a 15-year-old girl in which he is supposed to have slept with her, producing a child in consequence.
Fighting back against these allegations, Morales accuses the judge appointed by his political opponent Luis Arce, Nelson Rocabado, of political prejudice. He sees these legal actions as part of a larger campaign to get rid of him before the forthcoming elections.
In addition to the legal difficulties, Morales also claims that his life was recently threatened in an assassination attempt — allegations which the Bolivian government denies. They say he made it up for political leverage, according to Euronews.
Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president, governed from 2006 to 2019 before being forced from office in the wake of alleged electoral fraud. Though his return to Bolivia in 2020, after ally Luis Arce’s win, has been clouded by mutual suspicion, he has continued to command strong support within Chapare.
