Sunday January 22, 2023 | 11:19 p.m.
A Peruvian organization sued the Minister of the Interior and the Peruvian Police Chief for the arrest of more than 200 people inside a university in Lima as part of the repression of protests against President Dina Boluarte.
The National Coordinator for Human Rights (Cnddhh) filed a writ of habeas corpus and condemned the “arbitrary” detention of protesters and the “abuse of power” during Saturday’s operation at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos.
The lawsuit against Minister Vicente Romero Fernández and the general of the Peruvian National Police (PNP), Raúl Alfaro Alvarado, was received by a court in Lima, the Cnddhh said in a statement, the news agency reported. Europe Press.
The Police burst into the university with tanks to evict protesters who had locked themselves up there and arrested at least 205 of them, in the framework of protests against the Government that have already left more than 40 dead since last month.
University authorities said many of the protesters were people who had come from the interior in recent days for a large protest, dubbed the “take of Lima,” last week to demand Boluarte’s resignation.
As in the latest demonstrations that have taken place in Peru, the authorities have restricted access to Plaza San Martín, located in the historic center of Lima, in the face of student protests.
The protests in Peru began in December after the removal and detention of the then left-wing president Pedro Castillo, who was succeeded by Boluarte as vice president.
At least 46 people, 45 protesters and a police officer, have died since the protests broke out, demanding the resignation of Boluarte and the release of Castillo.
In an attempt to appease the demands, in December the Parliament brought forward the elections from 2026 to April 2024, but the demonstrations persist and the demand is for the immediate departure of Boluarte and the members of Congress.
