MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivia's Supreme Court orders Áñez's release

“My dignity is not negotiable,” Áñez insisted

Bolivia's Supreme Court overturned Jeanine Áñez's sentence on Wednesday and ordered the immediate release of the former head of State. “The sentence against Jeanine Áñez has been overturned... and as a result, she will be released today,” Chief Justice Rómer Saucedo confirmed.

“Upon reviewing the resolution that has been issued, we have found violations of the current legal system and of her rights,” he added. “This means that today she must regain her freedom.”

Áñez, who has been held in the Miraflores prison in La Paz, was convicted of dereliction of duty and resolutions contrary to the laws and the Political Constitution of the State in the so-called “Golpe II” case, stemming from her temporary assumption of the presidency in November 2019 during a political and social crisis following the resignation of Evo Morales.

The conviction was partially based on Supreme Decree 4,078, which Áñez issued to exempt military and police from responsibility during operations to suppress demonstrations, in which 36 people died.

Saucedo emphasized that the ruling reflects the institution's commitment to judicial renewal and independence. “The message is clear: transformation in justice,” he stressed. “We are committed to rectifying the mistakes of the past and ensuring that injustices in the name of the law are never repeated.” The decision was part of a series of measures adopted by the TSJ since August to review the terms of preventive detention for figures imprisoned in connection with the 2019 events.

“The Public Prosecutor's Office will have to decide on the procedure to follow. She is entitled to a trial to determine her responsibility. Let us remember that her sentence was handed down in an ordinary trial. Upon reviewing the resolution that has been issued, we have found violations of the current legal system and of her rights,” Saucedo also pointed out.

The decision, which followed an extraordinary Supreme Court Plenary review, comes after nearly five years of imprisonment for the former leader. “It is not a victory, it is reparation; it is not a gift, it is a right that, although it comes late, I receive with joy and with faith that justice now gives us hope,” Áñez said on social media.

Áñez, who still faces seven other legal proceedings, also mentioned that “I will never regret having served my country when it needed me. I did so with a clear conscience and a steadfast heart, knowing that difficult decisions come at a price. I learned that the deepest freedom does not depend on walls, but on keeping alive the truth of what I did and why I did it.”

“I learned that true freedom does not depend on walls, but on keeping alive the truth of what I did and why I did it. I still believe that serving my country was the right thing to do, even though I am paying an unfair price, because history changes, versions change, but the awareness of having done the right thing cannot be erased by anyone,” she further noted.

“It was not fair to lose my freedom for having served my country, nor to continue to be stigmatized for acts of corruption that I never committed. I have borne terrible accusations, a burden so heavy that it does not belong to me, but they have not hesitated to repeat them shamelessly without batting an eyelid,” Áñez pointed out.

“Injustice is not only found in prison, but also in the eyes of those who refuse to see beyond prejudice. Even so, I remain standing, with a clear conscience and my dignity intact. I feel that they saw me alone, without political support, and took advantage of that vulnerability to tarnish my name. When there is no power behind you to defend you, it becomes easy to point fingers, distort the facts, and make you the target of everyone's judgment. I do not defend myself with power, I defend myself with the truth, and that is why the cost has been so high.”

“They have disappointed me, they have hurt me, but they have not managed to break me. Despite everything, I still hold my head high,” she concluded.