The mandatory lockdown comes amid protests over rising fuel and food costs that have resulted in at least four deaths.
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo has lifted a mandatory lockdown imposed in the country’s capital and a nearby city after the measure sparked widespread criticism, anger and fresh protests in the streets of Lima.
Castillo had late Monday ordered residents to remain in their homes between 2 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. local time to “restore peace and internal order” amid nationwide protests over rising fuel and food prices.
“We will be removing this effective immediately [curfew]. We call on the Peruvian people to remain calm,” Castillo said Tuesday afternoon, along with Congress President Maria Alva, as he eased the curfew just after 5 p.m. local time (10:00 GMT).
The lockdown in Lima and the neighboring city of Callao came after protests erupted across the Andean country angered by a rise in fuel and fertilizer costs.
Truckers and other transport workers have blocked key highways and at least four people have died in clashes with police over the past week, the government said.
On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of protesters, most of whom were wearing Peru’s white-and-red soccer jersey or flag, defied the lockdown order by trying to reach the country’s Congress, where Castillo was meeting with lawmakers.
The country’s prime minister had said earlier in the day that the measure could be extended to other areas in the Andean nation if unrest continues. But the measure had sparked widespread anger and criticism from opposition party politicians, human rights experts and ordinary citizens alike.
The curfew left major highways and street markets in Lima almost deserted throughout the day as troops joined police in the streets to declare a state of emergency curbing various civil liberties, including the rights to freedom of movement and against arbitrary searches.
It freed basic services like food markets, pharmacies, clinics and garbage collection, but there was no bus service – spurring the frustration of Peru’s working class who couldn’t get to their jobs.
“It’s a shame. We’re going through a terrible economic situation, brother,” said Juan Gutierrez, a 45-year-old father of four, who had been waiting for a bus for more than an hour to go to a garment workshop where he is paid by the piece.
“Do you know what it means to lose a day? We have to work to eat,” he added.
“disproportionate”
The crisis is a particularly vulnerable moment for Castillo, who won last year’s elections with overwhelming support from Peru’s rural population — the same group of people who are now staging his government’s most significant protests yet.
Castillo’s popularity has waned quickly and now stands at around 25 percent. He has survived two impeachment attempts and passed through an unprecedented number of cabinet members in his eight-month tenure.
The president acknowledged in recent weeks that the country is facing an economic crisis, which he blamed on the pandemic and Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Peru’s President Pedro Castillo blamed the pandemic and Russia’s war with Ukraine for the rise in fuel and food prices [Martin Mejia/AP Photo]
But he said the riots had caused “concern among workers, mothers and the population in general” and said he imposed the curfew to “restore peace and internal order”.
Defense Secretary Jose Gavidia told journalists Tuesday the curfew was motivated by intelligence agencies suggesting there had been plans for wider violence, particularly in central Lima.
The curfew and state of emergency have been sharply criticized by Peru’s official ombudsman, Walter Gutierrez. His office previously said it had made an emergency request to end the mandatory lockdown, although the request has yet to be processed by a judge.
Alva, the president of Congress, had also called the lockdown mandate “unacceptable” and said lawmakers would keep working. She also urged the Peruvians to disobey the orders.
Juan Pappier, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said Twitter that the restriction on free movement is “disproportionate” and violates international treaties to which Peru has agreed.