A Bolivian court has renewed an arrest warrant against former president Evo Morales after he failed to appear at the opening of his trial on charges of aggravated human trafficking of a minor, throwing into fresh relief the deepening legal and political crisis surrounding one of Latin America's most prominent former leaders. The First Criminal Sentencing Court in Tarija, a city in southern Bolivia, declared Morales in contempt on Monday and suspended proceedings indefinitely, pending his arrest or voluntary appearance. A travel ban was also reissued. The same measures were applied to the mother of the alleged victim, who is also a defendant in the case.
Prosecutors allege that during his second term in office, Morales — who governed Bolivia from 2006 to 2019 — had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl and fathered a child with her. The indictment, built on more than 170 pieces of evidence, further alleges that the girl's parents consented to the relationship in exchange for political and economic favours. The case first surfaced in 2020 following the leak of images and messages, was shelved, and then reopened in September 2024 amid a bitter internal split in Morales's Movement for Socialism party. Morales has firmly rejected the accusations, describing the process as political persecution and stating publicly that he seeks not impunity but impartial justice backed by real evidence. His defence team argues the proceedings are procedurally irregular, noting that the court summoned him via an official printed notice rather than directly to his registered address. Adding complexity, the alleged victim herself has filed a request for the case to be annulled, saying she does not consider herself a victim; the court has said any such withdrawal must be addressed within the trial itself.
Since late 2024, Morales has been sheltering in Chapare, the tropical coca-growing region in central Bolivia where he built his political career as a union leader, protected by hundreds of loyalist coca farmers maintaining a permanent watch against police incursion. Authorities first issued an arrest warrant in October 2024, but were unable to execute it after supporters blocked roads for 24 days. His lawyers reiterated on Friday that neither Morales nor his defence team would attend the trial.
The renewed warrant comes against a volatile backdrop. Morales's supporters warned Monday that any attempt to detain him would trigger a nationwide uprising, with one activist urging followers in the Cochabamba Tropics to remain on high alert and "ready for battle." Separately, the Bolivian government has alleged an audio recording shows Morales planning to "encircle" the executive branch — though independent fact-checkers say the recording dates from a previous period. Morales had also called a march toward the capital La Paz for Tuesday to protest the economic policies of President Rodrigo Paz, against a backdrop of inflation analysts project above 20% annually.
The case carries significant weight beyond the courtroom. Morales, who rose from poverty to become Bolivia's first Indigenous president and one of the region's longest-serving heads of state, oversaw nearly 14 years of economic growth and poverty reduction before a disputed 2019 election and allegations of fraud forced him to resign and flee into exile. His political fortunes have since declined sharply — he was barred from standing in last year's presidential election — but he retains a substantial following, and his arrest, if it occurs, risks igniting serious unrest in a country already under considerable economic strain.