This archive report was first published on 28 December 2019.
On December 28, 2019, a diplomatic row erupted in Bolivia after the country's top diplomat accused Spanish embassy staff of trying to infiltrate the Mexican mission with masked men.
The incident occurred in La Paz, the Bolivian capital, and has sparked a bitter diplomatic spat between Bolivia and Spain.
According to Bolivia's Interior Minister Arturo Murillo, the Spanish embassy staff were trying to extract Juan Ramon Quintana, a former aide to ousted Bolivian president Evo Morales who stands accused of sedition and terrorism.
"We believe it was aimed at extracting the criminal Juan Ramon Quintana," Murillo said. "It failed."
The Spanish embassy in La Paz has been at the center of the diplomatic row after it sheltered nine or more officials from Morales's former government, some of whom are charged with "sedition" or "terrorism" over the deaths of 36 people in violently quashed protests.
Spain and Mexico have both denied any wrongdoing, with Spain's foreign ministry stating that the charge d'affaires was making a courtesy visit and denying any aim to facilitate the exit of people holed up inside the building.
Madrid has also announced that it will send a team of investigators to La Paz "in coming days" to look into the incident.
The diplomatic row has escalated with Bolivia's Interior Minister calling for the expulsion of Spanish diplomats and warning that Mexico will face a "very serious problem" if its embassy refuses to hand over the wanted officials.
