Brazil grants political asylum to Bolivian senator.
Roger Pinto Molina, 52, is the leader of the opposition in the Bolivian Congress and had been taking refuge in the Brazilian embassy in La Paz since May 28.
- The Brazilian government decided today (8) to grant political asylum to Bolivian senator Roger Pinto Molina, 52, leader of the opposition in Congress. The Bolivian parliamentarian had been taking refuge in the Brazilian embassy in La Paz since May 28.
In a statement, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) says it granted asylum to Molina "in light of the norms and practice of Latin American International Law and based on Article 4, Paragraph 10, of the Federal Constitution."
Molina requested political asylum last week. He claims to be suffering persecution from Evo Morales' government for his work defending human rights. However, Morales denies the accusation. The senator said that his wife, one of their three daughters, and two granddaughters are in Acre, while his other daughters and grandchildren are in Bolivia.
The senator, a former governor of the department (state) of Pando, on the Amazonian border with Brazil, is accused by local authorities of irregularities. A report in the La Paz newspaper La Razón states that the senator has at least 20 lawsuits against him in courts in La Paz, Santa Cruz, Sucre, and Cobija, mainly concerning accusations of contempt of court, sale of state assets, and corruption.
Last week, government authorities responded to the request for refuge at the Brazilian Embassy. "There are no political prisoners or political persecution [in Bolivia], but rather those accused of acts of corruption and criminal offenses. If he believes he did not commit these crimes, he can be happy and defend himself," declared the country's vice-president, Álvaro García Linera, to the local press.
*With information from BBC Brazil