Peru bans Bolivia's Evo Morales as political crisis simmers

FILE PHOTO: Bolivia's former President Evo Morales gestures as he speaks during a news conference in Mexico City, Mexico October 22, 2021. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

LIMA (Reuters) -Peru barred Bolivia's socialist former president, Evo Morales, from entering its territory on Monday, Peru's government announced in a statement, a decision Morales later derided as an attack meant to distract from rights violations.

The move to ban Morales, along with eight other unidentified Bolivians, follows weeks of deadly protests in Peru targeting President Dina Boluarte following last month's swift removal of former President Pedro Castillo, with some demonstrations held near the border with Bolivia.