Jorge Quispe / La Paz
Former president Jeanine Añez, who will celebrate her seventh day of a hunger strike today, suffered “decompensation” in the last few hours for not eating food, but she stands firm, according to her lawyers, waiting for the Special Rapporteur of the Organization of United Nations (UN) on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Diego García-Sayán, visited her today at the Miraflores prison.
“Yesterday (Sunday) he was still relatively well. Today (Monday) he is already presenting some decompensations typical of not eating food for six days. I had a headache, with some cramps and some other important discomfort, “explained the former president’s lawyer, Norka Cuéllar. On Wednesday, Añez declared a hunger strike before the start of the trial against her for the case called “coup d’état II”.
Jorge Valda, another of her lawyers, who also saw Añez, added that the former authority shows “the normal wear and tear that fasting entails, but she is firm in her measure.” He added that Añez is also strengthened by the strike also started by Mario Bascopé, from the Kochala Youth Resistance, in the San Roque prison, and Katriel Müller, in the Riberalta prison, Beni, in solidarity with the former president.
And before Añez’s hunger strike, the Minister of Justice, Iván Lima, and the Minister of Government, Eduardo del Castillo, affirmed that Añez’s health “is completely stable.” They even cited reports from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
audience optimism
Luis Guillén, another of Añez’s lawyers, expressed his optimism that García Sayán can listen to the former president. “We know that the Rapporteur will fulfill an agenda with the Government, but we are also aware that he combines them with other actions, even that he (the Rapporteur) can see (some case)”, he indicated. In the worst case scenario, they hope that Ribera, Añez’s daughter, and Añez’s lawyers can be heard.
Conade will deliver document
The National Committee for the Defense of Democracy (Conade) will deliver to García-Sayán a document that shows that justice in Bolivia is subordinate to the Government.
“We will have a 40-minute audience with (García-Sayán) and we will deliver a document that shows how some judges and prosecutors are subordinate to the government,” the leader Manuel Morales anticipated. He cited as examples former Constitutional Court magistrate Ruddy Flores, now ambassador to Switzerland, and former Attorney General Ramiro Guerrero, now Deputy Minister of Lands.
Letter to entities
- Intercede. Carolina Ribera, daughter of Añez, sent a letter to national and international authorities asking them to intercede for her mother.
- “Abandoned”. “My mother has felt abandoned by the national and international justice system and has started a hunger strike that I implore her to abandon due to her delicate health,” says the letter, addressed to Luis Almagro, of the Organization of American States ( OEA) and others.
