Twenty deputies fought with punches, kicks and slaps on Tuesday May 23 during a session of the Bolivian Parliament devoted to the fate of opponent Luis Fernando Camacho, imprisoned since December. The elected officials heard the Minister of the Interior Eduardo del Castillo, who came to present a report on the imprisonment of the opponent, accused of “terrorism” for a “Rebellion” alleged in 2019 against then-left-wing president Evo Morales.
During his speech, Eduardo del Castillo described the elected representatives of Creemos, the right-wing party of Luis Fernando Camacho, as “groups of radicals, thieves and violent come to steal the portfolio of the Bolivian people”. A group of female opposition MPs then held up placards with messages such as “There is no democracy when there are political prisoners” and a photo of the Minister of the Interior crossed out with the sentence: “Minister of Terror”.
Several deputies of the majority on the left then rushed on them to try to snatch their banners, according to images broadcast on social networks. The stampede lasted several minutes during which the deputies copiously slapped each other and pulled by the hair, exchanging punches and screams. Calm returned after the session was suspended, and Parliament Speaker David Choquehuanca said he would summon both political camps to lecture them.
