The temporary closure of Place of memory, reconciliation and social inclusion by orders of the Municipality of MirafloreIt has provoked the reaction of various figures, including the former Minister of Culture and relative of the victims of La Cantuta, Gisela Ortiz. During his participation in the presentation of Amnesty International’s annual report on Human Rights, he lamented the attitude of the authorities.
Ortiz described as arbitrary the commune’s decision to paralyze the functions and activities of the LUM and stressed that it is not only about the closure of a physical space but also an attitude against the relatives of victims of terrorist violence and the State that “demand spaces of memory not only to remember what we experienced, but also to commemorate our loved ones”.
“I want to denounce attitudes like this, which is actually an abuse of the only thing we have left of our loved ones: their memory. What we have left is to remember if they were students, soccer players, happy, to remember what they did in their communities. Their collective, family history is what we treasure because it is what we have left”, he pointed out. In addition, he regretted that in a country that for twenty years was marked by violence, “spaces to remember, study and learn about events that we do not want to repeat themselves” are not preserved.
Ortiz pointed out that he hopes that the task of seeking justice that began 30 years ago makes sense and that the “Never again” repeated on so many occasions will produce changes. However, it seems to have become a phrase that is constantly repeated, especially after the State has repressed and murdered dozens of protesters who exercised their right to protest in Cusco, Apurímac, Puno, Ayacucho and other regions.
María Navarro, executive director of Amnesty International Peru, highlighted the fact that in the last year women’s rights have shown alarming setbacks both in Afghanistan and in Peru where, so far this year, 137 femicides have been reported. Of the eleven thousand disappeared on the 22nd, there are still six thousand women whose whereabouts are unknown, according to data compiled by the entity.
Regarding the demonstrations against the government of Dina Boluarte, it was pointed out that “lethal weapons have been used illegally and less lethal weapons indiscriminately. There have been widespread attacks on the population under a clear racist and discriminatory bias.
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