(Lima) The Peruvian government has denied any policy of systematic human rights violations and racism in the country, rejecting an Amnesty International (AI) report on the crackdown on recent anti-government protests.
” The government […] is categorical in affirming that in Peru there is neither a policy of massive and systematic violation of human rights, nor what has been described as “systemic racism” in the actions of the various authorities”, declared Saturday evening the Department of Justice in a statement.
In a report published Thursday, Amnesty International accused the Peruvian government of “committing serious human rights violations in the context of its violent repression of the demonstrations”.
According to the NGO, the authorities also acted “with a marked racist bias, targeting historically discriminated populations”.
Protests in Peru erupted more than two months ago, demanding the resignation of President Dina Boluarte and the calling of general elections and a Constituent Assembly.
During these protests, 48 civilians died in clashes with security forces, most of them in the southern and southwestern Andean regions.
“The murderous repression is another sign of the police’s contempt for the indigenous and peasant population”, assures the Amnesty report.
The Ministry of Justice assured to facilitate official investigations in order to identify “those responsible for the serious violations of the right to life”.
He also stressed that the government is “aware” that “the fight against discrimination is one of its greatest challenges”.
Mme Boluarte took office on December 7, following the ousting of former left-wing president Pedro Castillo, who was imprisoned for attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree, sparking widespread protests by his supporters.
Coming from the same Marxist-inspired party as Pedro Castillo, Dina Boluarte is considered a traitor by the protesters, mostly of indigenous origin like the ousted president, who demand her resignation, but also the dissolution of Parliament and the convening of a constituent Assembly.