The governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho, also spoke out and from his social networks denounced the event as a political kidnapping. He demanded that the persecution of activists and human rights defenders cease, he pointed out that Valda was transferred to La Paz without legal notification. He accused the Government of violating the lawyer's constitutional rights.
The party Comunidad Ciudadana issued an official statement in which it rejects the apprehension of Valda and others involved in the case called "Zúñiga". They denounce that a policy of repression is being established and demand the immediate release of the jurist. They also announced legal actions at the national and international levels.
Carlos Mesa, leader of Comunidad Ciudadana, warned about what happened and pointed out that it is a strategy of the Government to intimidate dissent. He criticized the use of the Public Ministry for political purposes, he said that the regime attempts to criminalize critical opinion. He alerted the international community about this authoritarian practice.
The president of the Comité pro Santa Cruz, Stello Cochamanidis, stated that the Government seeks to create new victims to distract public opinion. He said that the violence of the operation reflects institutional deterioration, he accused the Government of using force to silence critical voices. He added that this will intensify the political crisis the country is experiencing.
Family members, lawyers, and civic leaders went to the Departmental Prosecutor's Office. They demanded explanations about the detention procedure and pointed out that the prosecutor in charge gave no response. They consider that everything was planned to intimidate opponents, but they assure that they will continue to exert pressure until justice is obtained.
No formal evidence has yet been presented against Jorge Valda and no concrete charge is known from the Public Ministry. The lack of information has caused concern in different sectors that understand that masismo will increase its repressive measures.
