La Paz, February 4 (RHC)-- The legal representative of former Bolivian President Evo Morales has been sentenced to six months in prison in a new attack on the reputation of the Movement towards Socialism (MAS) ahead of the upcoming elections.

Judge Armando Zeballos ordered the pre-trial detention of lawyer Patricia Hermosa who is facing trial on charges of alleged sedition, terrorism and financing of terrorism.  At the time of her arrest, Patricia Hermosa was in La Paz doing the necessary legal arrangements for the former president's candidacy to parliament in the upcoming May 3rd election.

Through his Twitter account, Evo Morales condemned the arrest of his representative, and denounced the lack of evidence to carry out the arrest.  He also denounced the police that took a military service notebook, which are key documents for the successful registration of his candidacy for a seat in congress.

Morales had given Hermosa and his lawyer Wilfredo Chávez a power of attorney so that they could submit his candidacy for Parliament to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.  The former president stressed that Patricia Hermosa worked with him "for more than seven years" and "always showed  responsibility, professionalism and social sensitivity.”  And he added: "It hurts me a lot that the dictatorship is using her to attack our political instrument (MAS)."

The persecution of the former government members led by Evo Morales happened again over the weekend with the temporary arrests of former mining minister César Navarro and former rural development minister Pedro Damián Dorado.  Both officials, who had been detained when leaving Bolivia with a safe-conduct pass, were eventualy released and flew to Mexico where they were granted political asylum.