LIMA, December 19. – The Ayacucho People’s Defense Front, along with other social, peasant, student and labor organizations, will hold a regional strike beginning this Tuesday, December 20 to demand the closure of Congress and the call for a change in a constituent of the Magna charter.
The strike comes amid the deep political and social crisis following the impeachment and subsequent arrest of Pedro Castillo, who was fired and disqualified by Congress and is being held in custody for the alleged crime of rebellion.
As a result of Castillo’s arrest, protests were registered in numerous cities in the South American country to demand the resignation of President-elect Dina Boluarte, the immediate release of the deposed President, the closure of Congress and the immediate calling of new elections, among others.
The police and army have cracked down on the demonstrations and as of this Monday the death toll at the hands of the security forces has risen to 25.
For the organizations and social groups in Ayacucho, one of the regions hardest hit by the repression, the situation reveals the offensive of the right and the extreme right to take over the country, according to a statement from the front.
The protests, which have included the confiscation of highways and airport terminals, come as the government of Dina Boluarte, the congressional president-elect, is trying to project a moderate image and distance itself from state repression that has killed 25 people and has claimed more than 350 casualties, at least 69 of whom remain hospitalized.
The Health Portfolio, in its latest bulletin published on its Twitter account, indicated that of the 25 deaths, nine occurred in the department of Ayacucho, six in Apurímac, three in Cusco, three in Junín, three in La Libertad and one in Arequipa.