(Lima) Relatives of victims of protests in Peru on Thursday demanded “justice” from the government of President Dina Boluarte, whom they hold responsible for the 46 deaths in 50 days of protests.
“I only ask for justice. I ask you to help us because no one will give my brother back to me”, exclaimed, in tears, María Samillán, sister of the doctor Marco Antonio Samillán, who died during the demonstrations in the mining town of Juliaca, near Puno.
In this poor region of the southern Andes, a clash with the police during an attempt to take control of the airport on January 9 left 18 dead, including a police officer who was burned alive.
“Every day I feel like I’m dying too. I can’t live anymore,” said M.me Samillán during a press conference with the National Committee for the Coordination of Human Rights (CNDDHH).
Her 31-year-old brother was shot and killed while trying to help injured people during an anti-government protest in Juliaca.
PHOTO JUAN CARLOS CISNEROS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Marco Antonio Samillán was 30 years old.
The cities of Juliaca and Puno, more than 1350 km south of the capital Lima, were the scene of the most violent demonstrations.
“Against Dictatorship”
On Thursday in Lima, several hundred people gathered peacefully in Dos de Mayo Square. “We are fighting against the dictatorship of Dina Boluarte,” protester Eduardo Vazquez told AFP as he handed out rations of cau cau, a typical dish made from beef tripe, to other protesters.
However, clashes between demonstrators and police broke out in the historic center of the capital. Some threw stones and firecrackers, and others responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.
The numerous protests and roadblocks across the country have led to fuel and food shortages, as well as a sharp rise in the price of basic commodities.
After presenting a report entitled “Fifty days of repression in Peru, human rights violations”, the national human rights coordinator in Peru called for an end to police violence during demonstrations in different regions.
In particular in the Andean region of the south, the poorest and which supported the government of left-wing president Pedro Castillo.
“We are at unprecedented levels of repression in Peruvian democracy. These are 57 people killed since Dina Boluarte took office, and among them, 46 were killed in extrajudicial executions by the police and the army,” lawyer Mar Pérez told AFP. .
On Thursday, transport authorities counted 88 pickets blocking roads in eight of the country’s 25 regions.
The lockdowns are causing shortages of basic commodities and liquefied petroleum gas, the main fuel for vehicles and domestic use in Peru.
The central highway that connects the Andes and is the main food import route to Lima has been closed. Hundreds of trucks are blocked.
The unrest began on December 7 after the dismissal and arrest of Socialist President Pedro Castillo, accused of having attempted a coup d’etat in order to dissolve the Parliament which was preparing to oust him from power.
Mme Boluarte, his former vice-president and running mate in the 2021 elections, of the same modest and Andean origins as him, replaced him in accordance with the Constitution, but is considered “a traitor” by the demonstrators.
Above all, this crisis reflects the huge gap between the capital and the poor provinces, which supported Mr. Castillo and saw his election as revenge for what they consider to be Lima’s contempt.