“The necessary indications were: look, if they are dating and there is this violence, they can use tear gas as a deterrent”. The President of Peru, Dina Boluarteassured with these words how he ordered the Armed Forces to proceed in the face of the protests when he decreed the state of emergency at the national level and that it continues in force.
According to the head of state, who assumed the presidency after the vacancy of Pedro Castillo, it was even provided that the military not use rubber pellets despite being permitted by law. “Those were my directions! And not just once. There are the WhatsApp with which I communicated with the ministrieswith the ministers of the moment so that, at any time, the physical integrity of all people is safeguarded,” he told “La República.”
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The protests against Dina Boluarte and in favor of the closure of Congress generated violent clashes between citizens and the Armed Forces in various cities of the country that left 22 civilians dead. Several of the fatalities were minors and in Ayacucho the death of a 51-year-old citizen (Edgar Prado) was recorded on video after receiving a bullet while helping a protester.
Does Dina Boluarte assume responsibility for the deaths?
The president was asked if the government assumes any political responsibility for these serious events. “Here we cannot be placing all the responsibility on the Executive because we have not said “hey, go out into the streets and take over airports; listen, go out into the street and set fire here or set fire there”. We have to look in the breadth, ”he replied.
“I think The press cannot come to say “you, you, you”. And what about the other side of violence? What about those who have generated the violence? They are responsible. And if behind them, as you say, there are congressmen, there are leaders, there are politicians who are inciting the population and deliberately distorting history, they should assume their responsibility, ”she pointed out.
Regarding the case of Edgar Prado, he indicated that the images released by Reuters they are painful and that “the Prosecutor’s Office will have to investigate where the bullet came from, why, what happened. You have to get to the truth. From the Executive we are going to give all the facilities, including the budget that is needed ”.
Regarding the reasons for the protests, Dina Boluarte pointed out that one of the reasons is the unsatisfied demands for years in the interior of the country and recent promises from the administration of Pedro Castillo. “In the government of former President Castillo there were too many decentralized councils (…) The mayors came with a list of demands from years ago, and there each minister -not all- It was as if they were in an electoral campaign, offering gold and Moor. I and the Minister of Economy looked at each other and said that this could not be ”, he affirmed.
