The capture of former President Pedro Castillo for being accused of attempting to carry out a self-coup in Peru on December 11 and the start of the Government of Dina Boluarte, are the direct causes of demonstrations against her government that are a reflection of the political crisis. that the Andean nation lives. Some 47 people have been killed in clashes with the authorities. While Boluarte is the target of criticism for the violent repression with which he has tried to end the protests.
One month after the start of the protests in Peru, the death toll rises to 47. For this reason, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, spoke out and said he was “deeply shocked” and is “following the situation with concern”.
Through his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres urged “the authorities to ensure respect for human rights and to ensure that a diligent, independent, impartial and transparent investigation is carried out into the accusations of excessive use of force and violations. from the human rights”
Guterres also recommended to the protesters that the protests should be peaceful and that they should respect life and private property.
But not only the Secretary General has shown his concern in the country, but also the Office for Human Rights and the UN representation in Peru.
This Monday in the Puno region some 18 people died, including a policeman, in clashes between law enforcement and protesters.
The participants in the protests demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, the closure of Congress, the advancement of general elections to 2023 and the convening of a constituent assembly.
Demonstrations across much of the country
In the southern region of Cuzco, more precisely in the province of Chumbivilcas, a group of 300 protesters burned a bus that was used to transport police officers.
Before the attack there were clashes between community members and the Police, who decided to withdraw towards their base. The RPP radio station reported that the confrontation did not leave any officers injured and that the bus driver was assisted by police officers.
This Wednesday the protesters went to the guarded local airport. So far, there were no clashes, according to the newspaper Correo.
In the Tacna region, on the border with Chile, another group of protesters set fire to the tollbooths, according to official sources. So far there are no reports of injuries, but the company Concesionaria Peruana de Vías had to leave the area for safety.
As reported by the Regional Health Directorate, Diresa, in the Amazonian department of Madre de Dios, neighboring the Puno region, a group of protesters detained an ambulance that was transporting three patients, including a pregnant woman.
The incident occurred at kilometer 182 of the Interoceanic highway, the vehicle was stopped “in the middle of the highway for more than an hour, putting the patients who were transferred and the health personnel who were on board the vehicle at risk. ambulance,” Diresa said.
“From the Diresa, our rejection of these violent attitudes of some protesters and we demand that the authorities intervene immediately to safeguard the integrity of our personnel and the goods that are used to serve our population,” the agency said on its social networks. .
In the Ayacucho region, this Wednesday marks the second day of a 48-hour strike called by social organizations against the Boluarte government. In the morning there was no public transport.
The Government responds
In the Puno region, where there were strong clashes, the Government imposed a three-day curfew in the region starting this Wednesday, from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.
The measure had been announced before Congress by the head of the Council of Ministers Alberto Otárola this Tuesday, according to what he said, “in safeguarding the life and integrity, the freedom of all the citizens of Puno.”
The Government also declared a “day of national mourning” after the clashes that left 18 dead in Juliaca. In this city, the relatives of the deceased were outside the hospital morgue. Three people have not yet been identified, according to the newspaper La República.
The Superintendence of Land Transport of People, Cargo and Goods, Sutran, reported that there are 61 interrupted transit points throughout the country, in which there are 12 national roads, in 6 regions of the country, which include the southern Puno, Arequipa, Tacna, Cuzco and Madre de Dios, as well as the northern San Martín.
Due to the violent response of the authorities to try to ward off the crisis, the country’s Superior Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation on Tuesday against the president, Dina Boluarte, and members of her cabinet.
Despite this, the new government won a vote of confidence in Congress by a wide margin on Tuesday night. The defeat would have meant a resignation of the cabinet and that of the head of the Council of Ministers, Alberto Otárola.
Chile calls for restraint
The government of President Gabriel Boric called for “fundamental rights to be guaranteed” and for a “proportionate use of force” to be made.
This Wednesday, in a statement, Chile expressed its concern about the political crisis unleashed in Peru since the arrest of former President Pedro Castillo in early December. In addition, he appealed to political and social actors in Peru “to open the doors to an inclusive, peaceful and democratic dialogue” in order to stop the violence in the country.
IACHR in Peru
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, IACHR, began its official visit to Peru, this Wednesday, to observe the situation of the anti-government protests.
The delegation is led by the vice president of the IACHR and rapporteur for Peru, the Guatemalan Stuardo Ralón, who met with Boluarte in order to “receive information on the current context.”
From Twitter, the presidential office said that “at the meeting, the president ratified the government’s support for the IACHR to carry out its work, referring to the clarification of the acts of violence that occurred in the country, and reaffirmed her commitment to continue promoting dialogue and social peace”.
At the meeting, the president ratified the government’s support for the @IACHR for the fulfillment of its work, referring to the clarification of the acts of violence that occurred in the country, and reaffirmed its commitment to continue promoting dialogue and social peace. pic.twitter.com/3DliZAPf7F
– Presidency of Peru 🇵🇪 (@presidenciaperu) January 11, 2023
After the meeting, Ralón declared that the idea of the mission is “to have the broadest possible listening to all the voices” of civil society, through an agenda “focused on moving outside of Lima.”
With EFE and Reuters
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