Riot police and demonstrators in Lima (Peru), this October 12th. SEBASTIAN CASTANEDA (Portal)
After several months of secrecy, this Thursday – a day when Peru celebrates the resistance of indigenous peoples and promotes intercultural dialogue – a part of the population took to the streets again to express their dissatisfaction with the current government and to insist on a list of demands summarized in three points: the closure of the Congress of the Republic, the Constituent Assembly to create a new constitution and the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, as well as the demand for new elections.
The morning began with the seizure and blockade of two bridges in Puno in the southern mountains. However, no similar events occurred in the other regions and tensions did not escalate as the hours passed. No incidents of violence were reported and the call did not have the intensity of previous protests. The National Unified Combat Coordinator had previously confirmed the participation of its bases and other fronts throughout the country. However, according to the Ombudsman’s Office, mobilizations were registered in six regions: the coast, Lima, Lambayeque, Arequipa and Tacna; and in the mountains of Huancavelica and Puno. At the last minute, the civil movements of Cusco declared their absence and announced that they would take part in the demonstrations in November.
While some citizens continued to search for a vacant presidential office, Dina Boluarte took part in an event for Latin America Day in Stuttgart. The visit to Germany marks the lawyer’s third trip abroad since she took over the presidency 10 months ago after replacing Pedro Castillo, who was jailed over a frustrated coup.
The protest against Dina Boluarte runs through the streets of downtown Lima this Thursday.SEBASTIAN CASTANEDA (Portal)
In his speech in Stuttgart, Boluarte spoke about the conflict in the Middle East and said that “violence, wherever it comes from, must be rejected by those who defend life.” “A few months ago my country experienced a political crisis that We Peruvians have been able to cope in strict accordance with our Constitution,” he added.
In Lima, in the Congress of the Republic, this Thursday, 26 parliamentarians from left-wing parties submitted a request for vacancy against the head of state due to “permanent moral incapacity”. In the letter, they claim that Boluarte is in “blatant violation of the Constitution” because she has traveled abroad three times – previously to Brazil and the United States – and does not have a vice president to represent her in her absence. The truth is that at the end of June Parliament decided to allow Castillo’s successor to carry out her duties remotely. For those who signed the motion, the main goal of Boluarte’s European trip – which includes a visit to the Vatican this Saturday to meet with Pope Francis – is to “wash his face before the international community with veiled lies.”
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Ahead of the President’s trip, the relatives of the victims of the protests sent a letter to the Apostolic Nunciature in Peru with the specific request that the Pope not receive Boluarte, as they believe that with this meeting the Apurim native “is trying to “to polish their image” through denial and deceitful diplomacy.” In clashes with law enforcement, 49 civilians were killed, bringing the total to 68 dead. In December it will be a year since the first protesters died and the investigation is making slow progress. There is still not a single detainee and the president remained silent every time she was summoned by the public prosecutor’s office. The last time was at the end of September.
Also last month, during the inauguration of a work in Junín, Boluarte defended herself so angrily that she blamed the victims for her death. “No one will intimidate me by shouting at me: Dina murderer! I ask those who shout these words: Who killed our brothers in these violent demonstrations? “It was them!” he shouted. In the last hours, Ruth Bárcenas, president of the relatives of those injured and murdered on December 15 in the Ayacucho region, made a request to Pope Francis: “Holy Father, please heed our letter.” The lady wants people to think that nothing has happened here and that there have been massacres since she took office. We only demand justice,” said the sobbing widow of Leonardo Hancco, a transporter who died from a bullet that pierced his stomach. Ten months later, the protests continue, but without the call of the first few months.
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