LIMA.- The organization Amnesty International (AI) issued a report in which it claims could have significant repercussions for the Peruvian president In Boluarte and senior officials of the country’s security forces.
According to the organization, the deaths of around 50 people during anti-government protests between December 2022 and March 2023 constitute one of the most serious episodes of mass human rights violations in Peru’s recent history.
The AI report details that Boluarte, as supreme commander of the Armed Forces and the National Police, could face criminal liability for decisions taken during the repression of the protests. Despite her denials of direct contact with the military leadership, the document reveals multiple meetings between the president and the commanders of the security forces, where Boluarte had the opportunity to condemn the excessive use of force, but chose to publicly support the agents and denigrate the protesters as “terrorists” and “criminals.”
The response of the security forces during these demonstrations, which also resulted in more than 1,400 injuries, was supported by operational plans signed by the National Police, which included explicit orders to “eliminate human barriers.” These plans, approved and supervised by Boluarte, resulted in the use of firearms against protesters, in contravention of Peruvian and international regulations on crowd control.
AI particularly highlights the events in Ayacucho, where on 15 December 2022, ten deaths were recorded in a single day. For seven hours, security forces fired on protesters and bystanders, ignoring urgent calls from the Ombudsman to cease fire. Boluarte subsequently defended the legality of these actions and promoted Alberto Otárola, then Minister of Defence, to Prime Minister.
The organisation criticised the slowness and superficiality of the judicial investigations, which have not adequately addressed the responsibility of Boluarte or the high command of the security forces. Marina Navarro, executive director of AI in Peruemphasized that human rights violations must not go unpunished, especially when the victims belong to historically marginalized indigenous and peasant communities.
Source: With information from Europa Press
