Luis Fernando Camacho: "Opportunists and sold out to the massismo tried to strip me of my position “

Justice will resolve this January 24 an action in favor of the right to privacy of the governor, Luis Fernando Camacho, which could be violated when the Minister of Government, Eduardo del Castillo, released a photo in which he appears in his cell. The authority does not speak about his health and, yes, he claims the “fight for democracy.”

— What did you feel at the time of your arrest and the way in which you were transferred to La Paz?
There is a very important point that we must take into account. In 2009, when the masismo attacked the autonomist movement, it managed to arrest some, others fled and another group agreed with them to stay running some institutions. This situation was terribly harmful for Santa Cruz and for Bolivia because the field was left open to massismo and it took ten years for Santa Cruz to raise its head again and that was when it protested against the MAS fraud, in 2019.

The responsibility for how long a dictatorship lasts also rests with the opposition. With an opposition that flees or agrees, the masismo can remain in power forever. Therefore, I had to assume my responsibility as governor and stay.

By violently kidnapping me, moving me to La Paz and then bringing me to Chochocoro, the Government of Luis Arce showed itself as it is: A dictatorship that carries out a coup against an Autonomous Government; it is capable of operating with hooded men and kidnapping an authority chosen by the people’s vote. I am a man of faith and I am sure that this abusive detention will serve as another stepping stone in the fight for democracy and freedom in our Bolivia.

— How are you mentally, in health after 25 days of being detained?
I am a political prisoner of the MAS dictatorship and not a word of complaint will come out of my mouth for the conditions in which I am.

I understand the situation very well, this is a fight in which I have to resist all the harassment and humiliation, because it is not about me, only. It is about the fight for democracy, it is about the fight for all political prisoners, it is about not letting ourselves be intimidated and continuing to confront the massismo until we manage to restore democracy.

Regarding my health, I made it clear in the first letter I sent, as a political prisoner, my safety and health is the responsibility of those who kidnapped me. Luis Arce and his ministers will be responsible for what happened with my life.

— How are your days inside the maximum security prison in Bolivia?
I am isolated. I have a routine that I have imposed on myself, as a political prisoner and as governor of Santa Cruz. I get up, try to find out about the situation in the country and in Santa Cruz. I take notes so that when my lawyers or government officials come, I can give the recommendations for the case. I have no contact with the other prisoners, but many of them send me their solidarity. When I first arrived, the cell window opened onto a large room, where they had a television and they moved it so that I could watch the news from my window. They are respectful towards me and they all call me Gobernador or “Camachito”.

– How is your family?
For them it has been a very strong blow, but they are recovering little by little. Fatima, my wife, and my three children have come to visit me and have told me about the things they are doing, they have become my spokespersons many times; They are also fighting for my freedom and for democracy, together with our people.

— Are you managing to coordinate with your work team the management in the Governor’s Office?
We have established a way of communicating and talking about management issues, in which we did not have great difficulties.

The problem is in Santa Cruz. I’m going to say it very clearly. With my kidnapping, the MAS carried out a coup against our government and, in that action, there is a group of opportunists and sellouts to the MAS who, two days after my kidnapping, were already trying to strip me of the governorship. I didn’t expect it, I thought they were going to hide it a bit, not even Judas was so obvious. In accordance with our Autonomous Statute, I can continue to hold office because I have not lost my political rights. For example, in Cochabamba, the mayor Manfred Reyes Villa had a judicial sentence and the masismo wanted to remove him from office and his collaborators and the people of Cochabamba resisted and he continues to serve as mayor.

The people of Santa Cruz gave me their vote to be their Governor, and neither the masistas nor the opportunists sold out to the Government will decide on the mandate that my people gave me.

— Do you consider it probable that the MAS manages to take command of the Governor’s office through the Assembly or an election?
Not in any way. Santa Cruz, its institutions and the people of Santa Cruz are the bastion of the democratic struggle. Since 2019, Santa Cruz has been at the forefront of the fight against masismo, against fraud, against unpopular laws and against the persecutions of the masista government. And now, the struggle for democracy has been reborn throughout the country. In a context like this, neither the MAS nor the opportunists who have agreements with the Government will be able to take the Governorate. The people of Santa Cruz would not allow it.

— Did you expect the reaction, with demonstrations in Santa Cruz, after your apprehension?
Since 21 days, in Santa Cruz there is a very strong citizen empowerment. The masismo is wrong when it says that the democratic resistance of Santa Cruz is encouraged by the power groups. That is false. The power groups have always been pactistas, if it had depended on them, before the fraud of 2019, they would have made a video saying: “What a pity that they have frauded us, but we must produce, let’s not let the economy fall” . These people do not understand their historical responsibility. Without democracy and without freedom, there is no economy. Don’t they see Venezuela and Nicaragua? Or do they almost want the MAS to consolidate its dictatorship and our children go out to clean windshields on the corners of Brazil or Chile?

The Santa Cruz resistance for democracy and freedom is fully popular, the people who take to the streets and roundabouts are mainly young people and women who risk their lives to defend democracy.

— Do you think that the arrests against leaders and opponents will continue?
Yes, it will continue. Luis Arce has already made the decision to take the dictatorial path. Today the government has blacklists, as in the dictatorships of the 70s. To justify their thesis of the coup, they are going to persecute and arrest many people, under the false accusation of collaboration and financing the coup. We have more than 180 political prisoners and the arrests will continue, but support for the government in urban sectors will also continue to fall because we Bolivians do not like dictatorships, we Bolivians do not know how to live on our knees.

— What is your expectation before the next national council?
All the councils have always been of crucial importance in the fight against the abuses of the MAS. The masista fraud of 2019 was dismantled with a series of councils throughout the country. It is true that it all started in Santa Cruz, but later there was a huge council in La Paz on Costanera avenue. There were councils in Sucre, Tarija.

The masismo will try to confront with violence, surely, but the fact that there is a national council is a very important advance. The fight for the recovery of democracy will only be successful if we do it in unity, all Bolivians. For my part, I will dedicate my life to the fight for democracy. And I respectfully summon and invite all Bolivians from the nine departments to join this fight for democracy, for justice and for freedom.