Bolivian officials seek 30-year prison sentence for former president Anez

Bolivia's interim President Jeanine Anez speaks during a ceremony marking the 195th anniversary of the Bolivia foundation at the presidential palace, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in La Paz, Bolivia, August 6, 2020. REUTERS/David Mercado/File Photo

LA PAZ - Bolivia's attorney general's office is seeking a prison sentence of 30 years for former president Jeanine Anez, in a case which will try her for genocide over deaths during protests that followed the country's 2019 elections, officials told a press conference Monday.

Over 30 people, largely supporters of former president Evo Morales, were killed amid unrest in late 2019, following elections which saw Morales elected but later resign and leave the country amid accusations of election fraud.

Anez then assumed power, taking office for less than a year before she was succeeded by current President Luis Arce.

An accusation was formally presented against Anez and some of her former government colleagues, as well as former military and police chiefs, authorities said.

Last year, a Bolivian court found Anez guilty of orchestrating a coup that brought her to power during the 2019 political crisis. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison. REUTERS

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