Jeanine Anez, the former interim president of Bolivia, has been released from prison after her 10-year conviction was reversed by the Supreme Court. The court ruled that her trial was flawed and did not follow the proper legal process. Anez had spent over four years behind bars.

She rose to power in 2019 after then-President Evo Morales fled the country during mass protests over a disputed election. Bolivia's first indigenous president, Morales, said he was overthrown in a coup.  When Anez, a conservative senator at the time, took over as interim leader, it provoked intense political controversy.

Amnesty International reports that at least 35 people were killed in her government's harsh assault on protests.  Following Morales's party's comeback in 2021, Anez was detained and subsequently found guilty of unlawfully assuming the presidency.

But now, Bolivia’s top court says she should have been tried by a special tribunal for politicians, not the regular criminal courts. According to Al Jazeera, Supreme Court Justice Romer Saucedo declared, "Her release is ordered today."

Her release comes at a startling time. It occurred just weeks after Morales's Movement for Socialism (MAS) party ended nearly two decades of Marxist dominance in Bolivia with the election of centre-right leader Rodrigo Paz. For many, this represents a change in Bolivia's political landscape rather than just a legal adjustment.

Although Anez has not made any public statements since the decision, as reported by Al Jazeera, she recently wrote, "I did it with a clear conscience and a steadfast heart."

The question of whether Anez was a criminal or a victim of political retaliation persists as Bolivia begins a new chapter. In any case, her release is sure to reignite debate across the country and beyond