Bolivia's Evo Morales held in contempt after missing court in trafficking trial

BUENOS AIRES - A Bolivian judge on Monday held former President Evo Morales in contempt after he failed to appear in court for a trial where he faces charges of trafficking a minor, local outlet La Razon reported.

Morales served three terms as Bolivia's first indigenous president from 2006 to 2019. He resigned following a disputed election that plunged the country into turmoil.

He is accused of having a relationship with a teenager and having a child with her in 2016 while he was in office. Thousands of supporters have protested the investigation.

Last week, Morales wrote on X that he was a victim of "legal warfare" and that "the government is carrying out against me a brutal judicial and media persecution with fabricated charges to annihilate me morally and physically."

(Reporting by Leila Miller and Sergio Limachi; Editing by Sarah Morland and Natalia Siniawski)

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 10:06 AM.