WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statement on the continued politicization of Bolivia’s judiciary following the arbitrary sentencing of former Interim President Jeanine Áñez by a court in La Paz:

“In 2019, the United States Senate unanimously passed our bipartisan resolution supporting democratic principles and standards in Bolivia. As a central message, it called ‘on the Government of Bolivia to respect, and where necessary restore, the independence of key electoral and governing bodies.’ The decision to arbitrarily sentence former President Jeanine Añez to ten years in jail on dubious charges recklessly diminishes Bolivia’s judicial system to a tool that seeks to settle political scores. It is with the utmost concern that we reject this troubling decision, which undermines democratic norms and puts into question Bolivia’s fragile democracy.”