Relatives of Rosalino Florez, who died in January 2023 from 36 bullets fired by the Peruvian National Police (PNP). Angela Ponce
On January 11, 2023, a year ago, a 22-year-old young man named Rosalino Florez Valverde was shot dead in Cusco by a volley of buckshot while protesting against the government of Dina Boluarte. The scene was recorded on video: you can clearly see how the boy, who was not carrying a weapon, hides behind a tree until a police officer chases him and shoots him repeatedly in the back. The tomography revealed the cruelty: 36 bullets destroyed his lower back area. They operated on him three times, but only 14 bullets could be removed. He died on March 21 in Lima after 69 agonizing days.
On Friday, the judiciary imposed 18 months of preventive detention on Joe Erik Torres Lovón, a police sergeant identified as the perpetrator of the murder of Florez Valverde. Amid an inefficient judicial system that has only identified the alleged attackers in six cases, the verdict is a ray of hope for the survivors. This is the first preventive detention order against a member of law enforcement in connection with mobilizations in which 49 civilians were killed by bullets and tear gas bombs.
Judge Leodan Cristóbal Ayala of the Sixth Preparatory Court of Inquiry of the Supreme Court was forceful in his ruling. “The damage is immeasurable, and not just for their families. His father, mother and younger siblings suffered in incalculable and indescribable ways (…) It was not an isolated crime, but a disproportionate state response. Not only lives were affected, but also the right of people to express their differences,” the judge noted. The agent is being prosecuted for murder with treason in connection with serious human rights violations.
The victim's defense attorney, lawyer Juan José Quispe, appreciated the decision of the judiciary in addition to the lack of speed with which the investigation was carried out. “It is the first case in which preventive detention has been imposed against a direct perpetrator of the death of a demonstrator at a social protest. “In addition, the judge made it clear in his order that the state, through the Peruvian National Police, used disproportionate and abusive force to repel the demonstrators,” he commented to the newspaper El Comercio.
Juan Jose Florez and Leonarda Valverde attend the memorial service for their brother and son Rosalino Florez, who died after receiving 36 bullets from the Peruvian National Police. Angela Ponce
The case represents a double stain on the institution that must ensure security. Police obstructed the investigation by concealing, changing and omitting information, according to investigations by Mirela Coronel of the Special Prosecutors' Team for Cases of Victims of Social Protests (Eficavit). On January 11, 2023, the day of the attack on Rosalino Florez Valverde, the corresponding report on the incident was not prepared. Second, the Seventh Macro Police Region of Cusco claimed in a report that the Tactical Actions Subunit (SUAT), to which Torres Lovón belongs, was not assigned to the area where Florez Valverde was shot. However, there are videos that prove otherwise.
But it is not the only evidence of an attempt to falsify the facts: the SUAT weapons allocation booklet shows that Torres Lovón was returned his shotgun on January 10, the day before the attack, when it was initially recorded that it was The date she gave was January 12th. A change was left in the notebook and is the subject of investigation.
The decisive factor for the 18-month preventive detention against the agent Torres Lovón was that he could not prove any roots of residence. If found guilty, he faces 15 to 35 years in prison. The defendant attended the hearing virtually, using a name that is not his own. “We are dealing with a person who is a high risk of absconding or absconding,” said Judge Leodan Cristóbal Ayala. His location and capture was ordered nationwide.
The prosecutor's request to issue a summons with restrictions and an exit ban against Colonel Edson Hernán Cerrón Lazo for the murder of Rosalino Florez Valverde is still pending consideration. He is being investigated for his actions or omissions as the alleged perpetrator, as he is Torres Lovón's superior. The hearing that will decide his fate will take place on January 22nd.
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