The Argentine ambassador in Bolivia, Ariel Basteiro, considered that the Bolivian Justice “advanced with the investigation” for the orchestrated arms smuggling from Argentina when the coup d’état that overthrew Evo Morales in November 2019 was consolidatingand pointed out that in the federal courts of Comodoro Py that case “is boxed in.”
“The Bolivian Justice, with all its contradictions, at least made progress with the investigation into arms smuggling during the coup against Evo Morales. In Argentina, unfortunately, the case has been shelved. Despite having the ability to summon officials of the Government of former President Mauricio Macri, they cut the thread for the finest and They only called the gendarmes who came to protect the Argentine embassy in Bolivia to testify“Basteiro explained in statements to El Destape Radio.
The investigation carried out by the Bolivian justice system was opened after discover a letter sent by the then commander of the Air Force, Jorge Gonzalo Terceros Larato the Argentine ambassador Normando Álvarez García thanking him for the 70,000 munitions sent in November 2019 to the antiplano nation.
These ammunition reached the hands of the police and the Air Force and were used to help the repression launched by the dictatorial regime of Jeanine Añez against supporters of the deposed government.
Basteiro also noted that in Bolivia “the financing of the coup is being investigated” and that they do not rule out that the commanders of the Armed Forces “have had support from other countries, including Argentina” to execute the repression that happened after the fall of Morales.
“We are facing a continent in dispute, with the right wing increasingly reactionary. As happened in Peru, Brazil and Colombia in recent weeks,” said the ambassador.
In addition, Basteiro added that when the right wing fails to take over the government through the popular vote, “it uses any action to break with democracy.”
On the blow to democracy in Brazil
Basteiro thus referred to the situation that occurred last Sunday in Brazil, where supporters of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro attacked the headquarters of the three state powers in Brasilia, the capital of the neighboring country.
“Brazil has a double meaning because it is economically more powerful. If it happens in Brazil, what is left for the other countries in the region?”the diplomat wondered.
In this sense, Basteiro agreed that, As happens in Argentina, “the right has no intention of respecting judicial processes”:
Finally, he referred to the delay that the leaders of the Argentine opposition had in repudiating the uprising of the Brazilian right against the powers of the State in the neighboring country.
“They did the same when the attack against (the vice president) Cristina (Fernández de KIrchner) occurred. They took a long time to say something to see how the conflict was resolved. If a right-wing coup ended up taking place last Sunday, instead of repudiating they would have taken out another message. This shows that their repudiation is a political convenience,” he said.
