(Lima) An investigation has been opened into whether security forces killed protesters during the crackdown on anti-government protests on December 15, Peru’s prosecutor’s office said on Monday, after local media reports said several people were shot dead by soldiers.
The investigation, led by a prosecutor’s office specializing in human rights in the department of Ayacucho, targets police and military personnel as well as those “deemed responsible for the alleged commission of crimes of aggravated homicide and bodily harm,” a statement read.
According to the Peruvian Ombudsman’s office, at least eight people, including a minor, were killed in Ayacucho during clashes with security forces on December 15 while demonstrating for the resignation of current President Dina Boluarte .
The action of the authorities was significantly hardened when a group of citizens tried to take control of local airport facilities.
A report by the Peruvian news site IDL-Reporteros shows that the soldiers, armed with Galil assault rifles, shot and killed six unarmed demonstrators, when they had already been expelled from the airport.
The prosecutor’s office said it obtained 147 videos, collected medical records and interviewed those injured at the protest as part of its investigations, in addition to performing ballistics examinations and autopsies.
The institution added that during the investigations, “relatives of the victims” were also questioned.
Protests in Peru, which began on December 7 after the impeachment and arrest of leftist President Pedro Castillo, have left 48 people dead, including a police officer.
The demonstrators demand the dissolution of Congress, a new constitution and the resignation of Dina Boluarte, who as vice-president took the reins after the arrest of Mr. Castillo.
After a peak in mobilizations in mid-January, the clamor in the streets has died down in the past week, with fewer demonstrations and fewer roads blocked by protesters.