ON JUNE 15 2022 the First Court of Anti-corruption sentenced the self-proclaimed “president” Jeanine Anez to 10 years in prison in the coup d’etat case.

William Kaliman, former commander of the armed forces, and Vladimir Yuri Calderon, former commander of the police, were convicted of resolutions contrary to the constitution and the laws and failure to comply with duties. Another four members of the armed forces were sentenced for breach of duties.

This judgement does not cover the massacres of Anez’s 11 months in power. It only dealt with the unconstitutional actions and decisions that Anez took as a senator before her self-proclamation in November 2019, violating Articles 169 and 170 of the State Constitution that opened the doors to an unconstitutional regime.

The coup was planned and financed long ago by enemies of the Bolivian people — the CIA, the US and national and international far-right instigators with plans to seize our lithium deposits.

On the same day of Evo Morales resignation on November 10 2019, a conspiracy was initiated at a meeting in the Catholic University where the opposition had already decided to “elect” Anez as president. Ricardo Paz, adviser to Carlos Mesa of Comunidad Ciudadana, called Anez to “offer her the position of the presidency” and she accepted, long before her self-proclamation.

Eugenio Scarpellini, a Catholic bishop, and European Union ambassador Leon de la Torre organised this meeting with colonial pomp. Diplomatic, political and civic representatives participated including Brazilian ambassador Octavio Henrique Cortes and Spanish ambassador Emilio Perez de Agreda.

They joined Bolivian opposition figures Jorge Tuto Quiroga, Carlos Mesa, Samuel Doria Medina, Oscar Ortiz, Rolando Villena, Ricardo Paz, Waldo Albarracin, Roberto Moscoso, Luis Vasquez Villamor, Giovana Jordan, Juan Carlos Nunez and Jerjes Justiniano.

It became clear that Quiroga, a far-right ex-president and imperialist agent, had control of the Bolivian air force and was the one who gave the orders.

The ensuing turmoil was calculated to bring down the legitimate MAS government by any means necessary. Adriana Salvatierra of MAS-IPSP, president of the senate in 2019, did not resign voluntarily, in writing and before the Electoral Tribunal, as required by law.

Dr Victor Borda, MAS member and president of the chamber of deputies, was forced to resign because in Potosi fascists kidnapped and beat his relatives, set fire to his house, tortured and were going to kill his brother, Dr Marco Antonio Borda.

The only and rightful one in line of succession was MAS MP Susana Rivero, yet prior to her self-proclamation, Anez, without any constitutional prerogative, was already acting as president. Through the media, she sent orders and summoned the armed forces and police to repress the protesters.

Immediately, Anez was already being treated as president — she had the presidential security team, the use of the presidential helicopter, and so on.

In contrast, the police, military and paramilitaries prohibited the entry of MAS-IPSP MPs and senators into the Plurinational Legislative Assembly — and in an empty chamber, without a quorum and without respecting the internal regulations, Anez proceeded first to proclaim herself president of the senate and then president of Bolivia.

That is how Anez came to power on November 12 2022, without a constitutional mandate, two days after Morales was forced to resign at the request of the military and with his life in danger, after police mutiny, the burning of homes, and kidnapping and torture of MAS militants.

Until then Anez had no political standing. Her party only got 4 per cent in the elections. As a lawyer, she was the senator for Beni in the northern part of the country, considered a white supremacist for her racism towards indigenous people (she once said: “The Indians do not deserve to be in the cities, they should be in the highlands.”)

Like no other prisoner, Anez continues to enjoy excessive privileges and VIP treatment. She has her own room, she chooses her own food, has a team of private doctors, special visiting rights and more.

The opposition is shaking — but with the support of national and international right-wing forces, they intend to annul the sentence.

Despite recommendations by the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts to dismantle the right-wing paramilitary groups Cochala Resistance Youth (RJC) and Crucenista Youth Union (UJC), to date, this has not happened — and they are now reactivating themselves and taking to the streets.

In unison, Britain, the European Union and the US imperialists complained that due process has not been respected. This is no accident — their intention is to undermine the verdict. All of them were part of the coup. British ambassador Jeff Glekin participated openly before, during and after the coup, and supported the dictatorial Anez regime.

Even with its limitations, the Bolivian justice has taken an important step with this trial. This verdict confirms that in Bolivia there was a coup d’etat in November 2019. It is not enough, but it is a step forward in the fight against impunity — and it is our duty to defend this decision.

No-one should interfere in our legal system. The Plurinational State of Bolivia is a free and democratic country and our sovereignty must be respected.

We reject the inappropriate statements of Diego Garcia-Sayan, UN Rapporteur in relation to Anez’s case. He interferes and meddles with our judicial system. Coup plotters, unconstitutional and self-proclaimed presidents have no right to a Trial of Privilege — no international treaty or declaration of human rights states this.

We repudiate Bolsonaro’s interference in offering political asylum to Anez. He was part of the coup and we demand respect for the memory of the victims and our sovereignty. Instead he should allow us extradite Anez’s former defence minister Fernando Lopez Julio to be prosecuted for crimes against humanity.

We condemn the coup plotters who go unpunished and again seek to destabilise the country, supported by reactionaries, fascists local and from abroad and the illegal APDH of Amparo Carvajal, who defends the executioners human rights but not the victims.

They should be prosecuted alongside Luis Almagro of the OAS for having promoted the 2019 coup that left 38 indigenous murdered, more than 800 wounded or disabled and more than 1,500 men and women imprisoned and tortured. Nor do we forget the death of Argentine journalist Sebastian Moro.

We also condemn the private media and press that lacks objectivity and misuses freedom of expression by amplifying fake news.

This verdict sets an important precedent so that no-one dares to seize power violently. We will defend democracy, not dictatorships.

We will not rest until justice is done and we will redouble our efforts to demand justice and reparation for all the coup victims, their families and for peace and liberation of our people — and we will win. For remembrance, truth and justice for the victims, we must jail the coup plotters.

Miriam Amancay Colque is a longstanding Aymara activist and Bartolina Sisa Resistance spokesperson in Britain. Twitter: @amancaybolivia.