De facto Peruvian government decides to militarize the region of Puno, in southern Perú. Photo: Today90/file photo.
This Wednesday, January 25, the Peruvian government sent troops into the department of Puno after announcing a decree prohibiting freedom of movement in the region. This curfew measure is added to the declaration of a state of emergency imposed on January 15 due to the escalation of social unrest in Puno, as well as in the regions of Lima, Callao, and Cusco, as reported by Telesur.
These measures follow one of the most violent days in the center of Lima, hours after the de facto president, Dina Boluarte, asked the protesters for a national truce in order to start a dialogue. The curfew, which extends for 10 days from this Wednesday, states that the population must remain at home between the hours of 8 p.m. and 4 a.m.
#PulsoRegionalCusco Gobierno decide militarizar la región del Altiplano – Puno. Contingente del Ejército se desplaza. Según medios locales, hubo momento de tensión. Dina Boluarte no mencionó esta medida en su conferencia con prensa extranjera. Más bien dijo "Puno no es el Perú" pic.twitter.com/oJsIgAe4HP
— Derechos Humanos Sin Fronteras (@dhsfcusco) January 25, 2023
While Boluarte responded to the foreign press, claiming that Puno was not Perú—later recanting this statement—hundreds of soldiers marched towards Puno through the hills of the Laraqueri district. The uniformed men traveled in military units and private buses from various battalions of the Tacna and Moquegua barracks.
Prosecutor’s Office opens investigation into police violence at the University of San Marcos
The Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation against the minister of the interior, Vicente Romero, for the hostile police operation that took place on the campus of the University of San Marcos (UNMSM), in Lima, last Saturday.
Peru: Police Violently Evict Protesters from San Marcos University
Violent repression by police has been a constant throughout anti-government marches in the South American country. Demonstrations continue to demand the release of President Pedro Castillo from prison, Boluarte’s resignation, and the dissolution of Congress.
Boluarte condemned for crimes against humanity
Faced with this climate of repression in Perú, a group of 46 lawyers will present a complaint at the International Court in The Hague against President Boluarte for the more than 60 deaths registered over the course of the protests. The lawyers demand her resignation.
The spokesperson of the group, Clara Salinas Quispe, specified that the complaint will be for crimes against humanity committed through a systematic policy of repression in the protests that began last December.
The document further names Prime Minister Alberto Otárola and the head of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, General Manuel Gómez de la Torre, former interior ministers César Cervantes and Víctor Rojas, and extreme right-wing congressmen Jorge Montoya and Patricia Chirinos, among others.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/AU/SL
