During the political crisis that Peru has been going through since Dec. 7, 2022, the department of Puno, in the south of the country, has been the focus of particularly serious violent events, such as the cases of Juliaca and Juli, for which human rights defenders demanded respect for the dignity of the protesters.
On March 6, the National Human Rights Coordinator condemned the repression and the acts of violence particularly registered in Puno and called for a halt to actions which, according to the Ombudsman’s Office, have left 65 people dead during repressive acts, 59 civilians, one policeman, and five military personnel.
The government of President Dina Boluarte, the Coordinator accused in a communiqué, has perpetrated a “constant provocation of the population, consisting of violent and discriminatory treatment”.
“The aggression suffered by the Aymara women of Juli in the Plaza San Martin, who were together with their babies, has not deserved the resounding pronouncement of the main authorities of the country pointing out the inhumanity of this action, as well as the sanction to the troops who did it,” accused the defense organization.
The Peruvian National Police (PNP) only issued a “timid” statement in which it promised to investigate and clarify the facts, the Coordinadora recriminated.
Puno has been the scene of some of the most significant violent events registered during the political crisis, in which thousands of Peruvians have taken to the streets since December 7 in protest against the decision of Congress to vacate the then President Pedro Castillo.
The demonstrators are also demanding the resignation of President Boluarte, an early election, the dissolution of the legislative power that removed Castillo from office, and, in addition, the convening of a constituent assembly to overturn the current constitution in force in the South American country, ratified by then President Alberto Fujimori in 1993.
In Juliaca, for example, a day of clashes with security forces led to the death of 18 demonstrators at the beginning of January, while in Juli, it was reported that a helicopter harassed demonstrators with tear gas at the beginning of March.
In addition, in Ilave, also in the Puno department, six elements of the Ministry of Defense died during a clash with demonstrators, as they drowned in a river while fleeing, according to the agency.
In this context, the Peruvian National Human Rights Coordinator considered that these persistent aggressions do not contribute to peace and instead “could escalate and seriously harm the population of Puno, Juliaca, Ilave, Juli, that is, the entire region of Puno”.
The inhabitants of Puno have the right to protest, and the National Police are violating it by repressing them, recalled the defense organization
“The demand for justice cannot be circumvented with promises of work or development”, it added.
With information from Sputnik