State of Emergency in Peru: Mass protests in support of ousted Castillo
Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Mass protests have broken out in various parts of Peru on the ousting of President Pedro Castillo. Hence, Dina Boluarte, the newly unelected leader of Peru, declared a State of Emergency along with her supporters to quell ongoing protests.
Before Castillo dissolved Congress, he declared an “…exceptional emergency government…to re-establish the rule of law and democracy.”
The BBC reports, “As two previous attempts to impeach him had failed to get the necessary votes, most commentators and analysts predicted he would survive this attempt to unseat him as well… After all, two-thirds of members of Congress would have to vote in favor of impeachment for him to be removed from office.”
The crisis in Peru developed rapidly when Castillo sought the dissolution of Congress, fearing his impeachment because of the constant calls for this despite two failed attempts. Instead of all sides seeking a compromise, events spiraled quickly. Therefore, Castillo was ousted from power and arrested – and Boluarte took control of the government.
Luis Otarola Peñaranda, the Defense Minister, said, “The National Police with the support of the Armed Forces will ensure the control throughout the national territory of personal property and, above all, strategic infrastructure and the safety and well-being of all Peruvians.”
Boluarte said, “Peru cannot overflow with blood.”
Eight protesters have been killed since Castillo was ousted. The world is witnessing teenagers being killed in Iran by the Islamic Republic. Now Peru is also killing its youth – five out of eight protesters killed have been teenagers.
All were killed after being shot by the security apparatus of Peru.
The Guardian reports, “The measure comes after a week of deadly unrest against Peru’s new president, Dina Boluarte, with protesters calling for the replacement of all lawmakers and the reinstatement of Castillo, who was forced out after he attempted to dissolve congress and rule by decree in an effort to avoid impeachment over corruption allegations.”
The State of Emergency entails that the police can break into homes without judicial orders. Also, people have been banned from gathering outside and moving freely throughout the country. This is bound to incense opposition to Boluarte.
It appears that more people will be killed under the prevailing conditions.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/14/peru-state-emergency-pedro-castillo-protests
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