Emotional Collapse During Judicial Process
On August 20, 2026, Fernando Cerimedo—former campaign adviser to Argentina’s President Javier Milei and current collaborator with Bolivian official Rodrigo Paz—experienced a profound emotional crisis in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Detained on suspicion of being the intellectual mastermind behind an armed attack on his ex-girlfriend, lawyer Nadia Beller, Cerimedo appeared at the Palacio de Justicia for a hearing that was ultimately suspended.
With his face covered by a hood and escorted by Bolivian security forces, Cerimedo was intercepted by reporters. Between tears, he managed to say: “I just want to see my children”, and before stepping into the elevator, he whispered: “I can’t talk.” Inside the elevator, he collapsed to the floor and continued crying.
The Video of the Moment
“Defend yourself, Mr. Cerimedo,” Bolivian journalists urged, while he, broken, shook his head at questions about the attack.
Messages That Complicate His Defense
Meanwhile, Nadia Beller’s lawyer, Jerjes Justiniano, revealed new messages from Cerimedo’s phone that could further damage his case. According to the attorney, one message discusses “finding a way to eliminate” his girlfriend. “Nadia has gone too far... I think we need to find a way to eliminate her,” Cerimedo allegedly wrote, as reported by Bolivian newspaper El Deber.
Other messages show a heated exchange. Cerimedo reportedly wrote: “Incredible, truly incredible. Don’t you dare, Nadia. Don’t you dare do anything stupid. If you publish that, you’ll ruin my life. I’ve told you before. Don’t do foolish things. I’ll shoot myself, I don’t care.” Beller responded: “You won’t manipulate me anymore. I swear, never again. I don’t have to protect you. Not after how you treat me. So go ahead and do it, because you won’t stop me. Everyone will know the truth.”
Defense Downplays the Evidence
Cerimedo’s lawyer, Margarita Arce, denied that the material constitutes valid evidence, questioning how it was obtained. “We consider these not to be expert analyses but illegally obtained evidence,” she said. According to Arce, it’s just a screenshot from a phone, and its authenticity must be proven. “It’s a screen capture, and we don’t even know if it’s from his phone,” she added.
Background: A Serious Accusation
Cerimedo was arrested on August 18, 2026 at Viru Viru airport while attempting to leave Bolivia. The Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses him of being the “probable intellectual and indirect author of the crime of attempted feminicide” related to the August 17 attack, when two men disguised as delivery drivers fired four shots at Nadia Beller, injuring her in the thorax, right arm, neck, and left shoulder. Beller, 33, is pregnant (4-6 weeks).
The Bolivian prosecution has requested 180 days of pretrial detention for Cerimedo, who has refused to testify. His defense is trying to promote a theory of a “self-attack” by Beller, describing her as a militant of the Movement for Socialism (MAS), Bolivia’s ruling party. However, the victim’s lawyer insists the evidence sufficiently links Cerimedo to the attack as an intellectual author.
A History of Disinformation
Chequeado, an Argentine fact-checking organization, documented that between 2022 and 2023, La Derecha Diario—a media outlet founded by Cerimedo—spread multiple disinformation pieces regarding the assassination attempt on Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, alleged electoral fraud in Brazil, climate change, comprehensive sex education, and edited videos. Cerimedo acknowledged using “negative campaigning” and troll farms, dismissing the false content as “childish things.”
Some profiles of La Derecha Diario Brasil were suspended in 2023 by Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court.
Sources: La Política Online, La Nación, Chequeado