👀 Ones to watch: Undervalued stocks to buy before they report Q3 earningsSee Undervalued Stocks

Peru's top prosecutor launches inquiry into president, ministers after deadly protests

Published 01/10/2023, 11:15 AM
Updated 01/10/2023, 10:36 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators clash with security forces during a protest demanding early elections and the release of jailed former President Pedro Castillo, near the Juliaca airport, in Juliaca, Peru January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Hugo Courotto

By Marco Aquino

LIMA (Reuters) -Peru's top prosecutor's office on Tuesday said it has launched an inquiry into new President Dina Boluarte and members of her cabinet over violent clashes that have seen at least 40 killed and hundreds injured since early December.

The new government, however, won a vote of confidence in Congress by a wide margin on Tuesday evening. A loss would have triggered a cabinet reshuffle and the resignation of Prime Minister Alberto Otarola.

The inquiry comes after 17 civilians were killed in the country's southern Puno region on Monday - the most lethal day of protests since former President Pedro Castillo was ousted and detained last month. The violence continued on Tuesday with a police officer dying after his car was torched.

The attorney general's office said it was investigating Boluarte, Otarola, Defense Minister Jorge Chavez and Interior Minister Victor Rojas on charges of "genocide, qualified homicide and serious injuries."

Human rights groups have accused authorities of using firearms on protesters and dropping smoke bombs from helicopters. The army says protesters have used weapons and homemade explosives.

The attorney general's office also said it would investigate former Prime Minister Pedro Angulo and former Interior Minister Cesar Cervantes, both of whom served under Boluarte for just a few weeks, for their involvement in handling the protests.

The president's and ministers' offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The ouster of Castillo, which came after he illegally attempted to dissolve Congress, has ignited a wave of protests across the country. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Boluarte, the dissolution of Congress, changes to the constitution and Castillo's release.

The vote of confidence, a constitutional requirement after a new prime minister takes office, passed with 73 votes in favor, 43 against and 6 abstentions.

Otarola has blamed organized attackers financed by "dark" money for those killed on Monday. Another 68 civilians and 75 police officers were reported injured.

Otarola also announced a three-day overnight curfew in Puno, aimed at quelling the violence. Footage from local media showed looting of Puno businesses on Monday night, while the airport in the region's city of Juliaca remained shut on Tuesday after 9,000 people were said to have attempted to invade the premises.

Peru's ombudsman office on Tuesday urged peaceful protests as well as for prosecutors to fully investigate the deaths.

The office noted the "extreme violence" of the policeman's death, claiming he was tortured before he died. The officer, identified as Jose Luis Soncco, had died in a torched vehicle after what senior police commander Raul Alfaro called an "ambush" by a mob in Juliaca.

"They burned him alive," said Alfaro.

The ombudsman's office also condemned an arson attack on a Puno congressman's residence in the city of Ilave with family members still inside and called on authorities to respect international norms with regard to the use of force.

Castillo tweeted on Tuesday that those killed for "defending the country from the coup dictatorship" will never be forgotten.

He has been ordered to remain in pre-trial detention while he is investigated for fomenting rebellion, a charge he denies. The former rural teacher who served less than two years of his five-year term before his removal says he remains Peru's lawful president.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators clash with security forces during a protest demanding early elections and the release of jailed former President Pedro Castillo, near the Juliaca airport, in Juliaca, Peru January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Hugo Courotto NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

Castillo ally Evo Morales, the former Bolivian president who was banned from entering Peru Monday, has also called for an end to what he says is the "genocide of our indigenous brothers."

Later this week, an Inter-American Commission on Human Rights mission will visit Peru to assess the situation. The United Nations has meanwhile urged respect for human rights and offered to mediate the crisis.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.