Protesters show their disapproval of the recent coup against Pedro Castillo. Photo: Sputnik.
December 13, 2022 (OrinocoTribune.com)—According to officials appointed by the coup regime, demonstrators calling for the closure of Congress and the release of President Pedro Castillo took over the international airport in Arequipa, Peru. More than two thousand civilians occupied the terminal in Arequipa, Peru’s second largest city, and blocked the highway, demanding the immediate resignation of acting President Dina Boluarte.
As a result, all flights at Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón International Airport were cancelled. The company that manages the airport, Aeropuertos Andinos del Perú, reported the closure of the facilities until further notice. In a statement, the company indicated that all personnel have been evacuated.
In addition, demonstrators occupied a smaller regional airport in Andahuaylas. At an altitude of nearly 3,000 meters above sea level, Andahuaylas is the capital of Andahuaylas Province in the Apurímac Region of the Peruvian Andes.
Orinoco Tribune Editor: There Was a Coup Against Pedro Castillo in Peru
Demonstrations and police repression continued in the north and south of Peru, as demonstrators demanded the release of imprisoned President Pedro Castillo and the closure of Congress, and the formation of a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution for Peru—one of Castillo’s campaign promises.
According to sporadic reports, at least four demonstrators have been killed, and dozens have been injured. Protests have been reported across the country with the participation of countless citizens. Videos of great crowds massing both day and night have been shared on social media since the coup that attempted to depose President Castillo.
As demonstrations spread to various cities in the north and south of the Andes, acting President Boluarte, appointed by the coup regime to succeed Castillo, decreed a state of emergency in the regions of Apurímac, Ica, and Arequipa. The decision of Boluarte was announced by the acting minister of the interior appointed by the coup regime, César Cervantes.
Through a statement, Boluarte was quoted as saying: “I have given the instructions for the peaceful recovery of control of internal order without affecting the fundamental rights of citizens.” Meanwhile, acts of police violence have been reported by numerous social media accounts.
“Today is the seventh day of protests in Peru,” wrote Manolo De Santos of the People’s Forum, on social media. “There are now major roadblocks across Peru. The scale of the protests continue to grow despite seven people, mostly underage, being killed by police. The coup government greatly underestimated that people would fight back and defend Castillo.”
Meanwhile, journalist and author Vijay Prashad of the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, shared a video of a brutalized young man, bleeding profusely from the head, with the following post: “First killing by the coup regime in Peru. This is in Apurimac, in the Andes. Outrageous. Sound the alarm. Defend the people of Peru against a racist ruling class that is backed fully by Washington.”
Orinoco Tribune special by Steve Lalla
OT/KW/SL
Steve Lalla
Steve Lalla is a journalist, researcher and analyst. His areas of interest include geopolitics, history, and current affairs. He has contributed to Counterpunch, Resumen LatinoAmericano English, ANTICONQUISTA, Orinoco Tribune, and others.
