Evo Morales is demanding a "fair" and "legal" process following his failure to appear in court on charges of human trafficking.

MundoThe former president of Bolivia stated that "no one can be convicted for political reasons" and emphasized that the case is based on false accusations "with fabricated evidence." Claudia Morales CommentsThe former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, called for an "impartial" and "legal" process this Monday, after being declared in contempt of court by the justice system of his country for failing to appear before the Departmental Court of Tarija. The court is hearing the legal case against him for an alleged crime of human trafficking, related to a relationship with a teenager during his presidential term. "I am not seeking impunity, I only demand an impartial, legal process, in accordance with the Constitution and procedural law," the former president said in an extensive message published on his social networks. In the same message, he defended that "no citizen can be convicted legally and through the media, without respecting due process and the presumption of innocence." Along the same lines, Morales argued that "no one" should be "convicted" for "political reasons" with - according to him - "false accusations and fabricated evidence, solely with the objective of legally, morally, and physically destroying" him. "If a judge or a court allows a trial to proceed without resolving pending issues, there is a risk that everything carried out will be null and void, and the defense of the accused may file constitutional actions and a criminal complaint for abuse of power against the administrators of justice," warned the former leader, accompanying his publication with selected legal precedents to support his words. Morales, who is currently confined in the coca-growing region of Chapare, in the heart of Cochabamba, under the protection of his supporters, has not attended any of the summons issued by the authorities, whom he accuses of fabricating a case against him. Regarding his case, the prosecution alleges that Morales had a relationship with a 16-year-old girl in 2015, with whom he had a daughter during his presidential term, which lasted from 2006 to 2019, when he left the country under pressure from the opposition and part of the armed forces, who did not recognize his electoral victory. According to the Code of Criminal Procedure (Law 1970) and the jurisprudence of the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal, no trial can be initiated or proceed if pending issues have not been resolved beforehand, because, according to Bolivian criminal procedural law, these issues have the…— Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) May 12, 2026 More about:BoliviaEvo MoralesHuman traffickingTrial