At least 20 people have been killed in violent protests in Peru in recent weeks. People across the country are protesting the impeachment and arrest of President Pedro Castillo. Meanwhile, the ministers of culture and education have also resigned. This is what is happening in the Latin American country.
On December 7, leftist President Pedro Castillo was impeached for wanting to dissolve his own parliament. He wanted to avoid being impeached. Castillo is suspected of corruption, rebellion and conspiracy. The Supreme Court on Thursday extended his remand to a year and a half. He has been the president of Peru since July 28, 2021. Castillo denies any accusations and still sees himself as the incumbent president.
Violent protests erupted after his ouster and arrest. Thousands of Peruvians took to the streets to protest the current policy. At least 20 people were killed in the protests. Another 450 civilians and police officers were injured.
Volg dit onderwerp
Receive notifications of news about the protests in Peru
Castillo’s vice president, Dina Boluarte, succeeds him after his impeachment. As the new president, she is having a hard time. She repeatedly called for an end to the protests and said she regretted any casualties. On Monday, she announced in a speech that she would advance the elections in the country by two years. Boluarte hoped the protest violence would stop, but parliament blocked her request. On Saturday, she once again called for the election to be brought forward.
Peru’s Defense Ministry declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for at least 30 days. Curfews also apply in a number of regions. These measures were supposed to put an end to the violent protests, but so far they have no effect.
It is noteworthy that the inhabitants of the capital Lima are diametrically opposed to the poorer Peruvians who live in the countryside or in smaller cities. They want Castillo to stay in power. Castillo comes from a humble background and has great support among farmers and the millions of indigenous inhabitants of the Spanish-speaking country.
The demonstrators demand new elections. They want Boluarte to resign. Many walk around with banners with the slogan ‘Dina asesina’, which means ‘Dina killer’. When Castillo came to power, Boluarte supported his ideas, but when she became president herself, that support seemed to disappear. Boluarte has no intention of resigning herself, she believes that will not solve the situation, she said at a press conference on Saturday.
Not only are there many fights, protesters are also occupying airports and blocking roads. They set fire to cars and a government building also went up in flames. There are strikes all over the country. As a result, the country’s infrastructure is flat in many areas. Buses, trains and cars sometimes have nowhere to go.
The police crack down on the protesters. Tear gas was also used. The police are present in large numbers and, among other things, fight on horseback against the demonstrating crowds. The army has also been deployed to crush the protests.
Peru has a turbulent political history. The country is democratic, yet the population has little influence on the decisions made by the government. Boluarte is the sixth president in five years. Four of them became president because their predecessor had to resign or was impeached, as is also the case with Castillo. Many former presidents have been prosecuted for corruption.
There have been protests in the country for years, but these are bigger and much more violent. Friday was the last straw for two ministers. The Minister of Education and the Minister of Culture announced their departure on Friday. They argue that state violence is unreasonable and that it should never lead to the death of civilians.
Due to the state of emergency declared, at least 2,000 tourists are trapped in the Inca city of Machu Piccu. Among them, 150 are Dutch. There are no trains and almost no planes fly. Work is underway on the track so that the trains can run again. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs urges the Dutch in Peru to be careful, calling the situation “tense”.
0:45Eerder
-
12 dec 2022 om 02:54
Doden en gewonden bij demonstraties na couppoging Peru
-
07 dec 2022 om 20:35
Peruaanse president opgepakt nadat hij parlement probeerde te ontbinden
