(27 Jun 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
La Paz, Bolivia - 27 June 2024
1. Bolivia's Presidential Palace
2. Police guarding palace
3. Palace's entrance with damaged gate
4. Various of police guarding palace
5. Bolivian Special Forces headquarters, where Gen. Juan José Zúñiga is detained
6. People gathered to protest against Gen. Zúñiga
7. A man holding a banner reading (Spanish) "Democracy yes. Jail to the coup plotters."
8. Protest
9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) name not given, protester against Zúñiga:
"It is unbelievable that in the 21st century, there could be an attempted coup d'état. We defend the constitutional right, the democratic right that all Bolivians have. We have held a vigil all night."
10. Newspaper kiosk
11. Various of newspapers front pages
12. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Luisa Torrez, newspaper vendor:
"We have been quite frightened because it is an unfortunate event that puts everyone at risk. More than anything the concern is of the people, of the ordinary people. The merchants are afraid because we live from day to day. So it is worrying, but thank God it has been solved and we are calmer."
13. Various of streets, people walking
14. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Evaristo Mamani, lawyer and teacher:
"From a distance, you can see that it has been planned, premeditated, regrettable self-coup. I saw some colleagues I know, civil servants, laughing from ear to ear. Well, if it were a coup d'état like the one in 2019, you could not do that. So I think (they) knew everything."
15. Various of newspapers
16. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Josefina, surname not given, La Paz resident:
"In my view, it was a self-coup d'état. It was not a coup. A coup as such is known to have its stages, and it was not like that. I hope that this situation is clarified and that it is known how much money it has cost the state. Because this has been financed, it was not free."
17. Streets

STORYLINE:
Bolivian police guarded the entrance to the government palace in downtown La Paz, which on Thursday still bore the marks of the violence during Wednesday's attempted coup d'état.

Outside the headquarters of the Special Police Forces, where the leader of Wednesday's failed coup attempt is being held, government supporters repudiated the coup and demonstrated in favor of democracy.

"Democracy yes. Jail to the coup plotters," read one of many placards.

"It is unbelievable that in the 21st century there could be an attempted coup d'état. We defend the constitutional right, the democratic right that all Bolivians have. We have held a vigil all night," said one of the protesters gathered outside the building.

The nation of 12 million watched in shock and bewilderment Wednesday as Bolivian military forces appeared to turn on the government of President Luis Arce, seizing control of the capital’s main square with armored personnel carriers, crashing a tank into the presidential palace and unleashing tear gas on protesters.

Bolivia's embattled President Arce awoke Thursday to supporters raising signs that advocated for democracy and condemned the now-ousted Bolivian army chief, Gen. Juan José Zúñiga, who led Wednesday's thwarted coup.

Many Bolivians interviewed in the streets accused Arce of orchestrating an elaborate hoax to boost his flagging popularity, as Zúñiga alleged.

"From a distance, you can see that it has been a planned, premeditated, regrettable self-coup," said lawyer and teacher Evaristo Mamani.

A surge of posts on social media also expressed doubts about the legitimacy of the coup.

AP Video shot by Carlos Guerrero



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