Bolivian union leader David Quispe placed under house arrest

A Bolivian court ordered the confinement of David Quispe Machaca, leader of the Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia (CSUTCB), to his home pending investigation. The decision, issued after a virtual hearing on precautionary measures, restricts his work, requires four guarantors, bans contact with co‑defendants, and obliges weekly appearances before the public prosecutor.

Quispe is accused of involvement in nationwide road blockades that lasted 53 days between May and June, which disrupted food and medicine supplies, transport, and caused economic losses. He faces charges of public incitement to crime, criminal association, terrorism and attacks on the safety of transport and public services. His defense argues he assumed his union role only after the blockades ended, asserting his innocence.

The ruling also placed other protest leaders, including Vicente Salazar of the Federación Departamental de Campesinos Túpac Katari, under preventive detention. The case remains under investigation.