Citizens from various sectors in at least five regional capitals across Bolivia took to the streets Thursday to demand an end to the roadblocks organized by peasant unions and groups aligned with former Bolivian President Evo Morales, who are calling for the resignation of the Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz. Photo by Jorge Abrego/EPA
May 22 (UPI) -- Former Bolivian President Evo Morales accused the United States of backing the government of President Rodrigo Paz and attempting to criminalize the protests shaking Bolivia.
"The United States does not defend democracy or respect international law. It finances right-wing coups. It invades countries and steals their natural resources," Morales wrote in a message Thursday on X.
Officials from the Bolivian identified Morales as the main instigator behind the wave of protests and road blockades demanding the president's resignation.
The historic leader of the Movement Toward Socialism party, who is entrenched in the coca-growing Chapare region, was declared in contempt by a Bolivian court this month after failing to appear at a hearing linked to a human trafficking case.
