Peru extended a national state of emergency for another 30 days in seven regions of the country, including the capital Lima, to try to contain anti-government protests, which have killed at least 49 people.
The measure authorizes the Army to intervene to maintain public order and suspends various constitutional rights such as freedom of movement and assembly and the inviolability of the home, according to a decree published Saturday night.
The state of emergency, which has been in force throughout Peru since December 15, continues only in the areas where the largest protests have been registered, specifically in the regions of Lima, Cuzco and Puno and in the province of Callao.
The state of emergency also covers five highways, at a time when, according to the Peruvian authorities, the number of highways blocked by protesters has risen to more than 120 in 33 provinces, particularly around Lima.
The decree also extends for another ten days the mandatory curfew, between 8:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m., in the Puno region, in southern Peru, one of the epicenters of the protests.
Hours earlier, hundreds of people gathered in a march from the capital’s historic center to the Miraflores district to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte and protest the deaths linked to the demonstrations.
The participants raised banners calling for the anticipation of the elections, scheduled for April 2024, for this year, and an end to the repression of the protests, with some waving black and white Peruvian flags in mourning.
During the day on Saturday there were also protests in other regions, such as Cuzco, Puno and Apurímac, in southern Peru.
The protests also demand the dissolution of Congress, the convening of a constituent assembly and the release of deposed President Pedro Castillo, meanwhile sentenced to 18 months in “preventive prison.”
The demonstrations began in December, shortly after Boluarte took office as head of government, after Congress removed Castillo, accused of promoting a coup d’état that implied the dissolution of the chamber and the holding of new elections.
The Public Ministry of Peru announced this Friday that 329 people were arrested in connection with the demonstrations.
Also on Friday, the president of Peru asked for “pardon”, admitted that the government “erred in the search for peace and tranquility”, but guaranteed that she would not resign.
Boluarte revealed that he asked the Peruvian parliament to advance the voting date of the bill, presented by the executive, which provides for the holding of general elections in April 2024.
The president called for an end to the violence, despite acknowledging that behind the protests there is also a “fair denunciation” of citizens who express their “dissatisfaction with unsatisfied demands” and ignored for decades.
Source: TSF
