During a demonstration to organize new elections and the release of ousted President Pedro Castillo on January 8, 2023 in Juliaca, Peru. STRINGER / Portal
Yunni Milan Anahui was on Friday January 6 with her mother on her way to the market in the trading town of Juliaca in southern Peru. On the way, a bullet pierced his intestines. The young man of 29, who is in intensive care, is awaiting surgery. Yunni Milan Anahui is one of the latest victims of police violence linked to protests against the ruling power in Peru that began after President Pedro Castillo was overthrown and replaced by Vice President Dina Boluarte on December 7, 2022.
After the ceasefire at the end of the year, popular mobilization resumed on January 4th. Various organizations have called for an indefinite strike, especially in the south, one of the poorest regions of the country. The demands remain unchanged: the dissolution of Congress, the resignation of Dina Boluarte (who succeeded Pedro Castillo after his failed coup and his dismissal) and general elections for 2023. On Sunday 8 January around sixty streets were closed. These include national axes and sections of the Panamericana, which crosses the country from north to south. The land border with Bolivia is closed.
Since the conflict began a month ago, there have been 28 casualties in Peru, most of them killed by bullets, and more than 600 injured. On Saturday there were clashes between demonstrators and police forces in Juliaca for twelve hours. The scenes of chaos continued into the next day. Police used their guns to respond to security forces throwing stones and burning an armored vehicle.
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After Yunni Milan and two other people, photojournalist Aldair Mejia from Spanish agency EFE suffered a leg injury on Saturday. In a statement to the Peruvian daily La Republica, he says he received death threats while covering the demonstrations. A police officer had tried to snatch his press card from him before ordering him to leave, threatening to “put a bullet in the head”. Aldair Mejia escapes with a broken bone. At least six other journalists were attacked by police in different parts of the country. Human rights organizations warn against the “criminalization of social protest”.
“Right Discourse”
The demonstrations were also severely suppressed in Lima. Between Friday and Saturday, 200 people were arrested, most of whom were released a few hours later. Since the declaration of a state of emergency on December 14, the country has been in the midst of a “drift towards an authoritarian regime,” warns Jennie Dador, representative of the National Human Rights Coordination. “We are losing our freedoms, there are arbitrary arrests, excessive use of force by the police and military, illegal searches of political premises [mi-décembre, deux locaux de partis de gauche et ceux de la confédération paysanne ont été perquisitionnés] »
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