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Amnesty International accuses the Peruvian authorities of "marked racist bias" in the repression of the protests

2023-02-16T14:47:54.502Z


The Human Rights organization Amnesty International published a report denouncing that the Peruvian authorities acted with "a marked racist bias" in the repression of the protests that have shaken the country.


Machu Picchu receives tourists again after protests in Peru 0:48

(CNN) --

Amnesty International accused the Peruvian authorities of acting with "a marked racist bias" in repressing the protests that have rocked the country since December, saying they are targeting "populations that have historically been discriminated against," according to a report. report published this Thursday.

Drawing on data from Peru's Ombudsman's Office, Amnesty says it "found that the number of potential arbitrary deaths due to state repression" was "disproportionately concentrated in regions with majority indigenous populations."

Amnesty also claims that areas with a majority of indigenous populations have suffered the most deaths since the protests began.

“Although the regions with a majority of indigenous populations represent only 13% of the total population of Peru, they suffered 80% of the total deaths registered since the crisis began,” the organization wrote.

The Defense Ministry declined to comment on the report, telling CNN that the country's Attorney General's Office, with whom they are collaborating, is in charge of the ongoing investigation.

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“Not only have we delivered all the information requested, but we have supported the transfer of personnel (of the Public Ministry) (experts and prosecutors) to the area so that they can carry out their work.

The Ministry of Defense is awaiting the results of the investigations," the ministry spokesperson added.

CNN also contacted the Home Office, which oversees the police, for comment on the report.

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The country's protest movement has raged for weeks in search of a complete change of government.

The movement was sparked by the impeachment and arrest of former President Pedro Castillo in December and fueled by deep dissatisfaction with living conditions and inequality in the country.

While protests have taken place across the country, the worst violence has been in the rural and indigenous south, which viewed Castillo's ouster as yet another attempt by Peru's coastal elites.

"In a context of great political uncertainty, the first expressions of social unrest arose in several of the most marginalized regions of Peru, such as Apurímac, Ayacucho and Puno, whose mostly indigenous populations have historically suffered discrimination, unequal access to political participation and have been involved in an ongoing struggle to access basic rights to health, housing and education," Amnesty wrote.

The protests have spread to other parts of the country and the protesters' fury has also grown with the rising death toll: as of Tuesday, at least 60 people had died, according to Peru's Ombudsman's Office, including a police officer. police.

Castillo's successor, President Dina Boluarte, has so far refused to step down, while Peru's congress has rejected proposals for early elections this year, one of the protesters' main demands.

Disproportionate use of force

The Human Rights organization accuses the security forces of using firearms with lethal ammunition "as one of their main methods to disperse demonstrations, even when there was no apparent risk to the lives of other people", which constitutes a violation of international human rights standards.

Amnesty says it documented 12 deaths in which "all the victims appeared to have been shot in the chest, torso or head, which could indicate, in some cases, the intentional use of deadly force."

There have also been cases of violence by some protesters, with the use of stones, fireworks and homemade slingshots.

CNN previously reported on the death of a police officer who was burned alive by protesters.

Citing figures from the Ministry of Health, Amnesty concluded that "more than 1,200 people were injured in the context of the protests and 580 police officers were injured."

Demonstrators on the runway of an airport amid violent protests in Ayacucho, Peru, on December 15, 2022. (Miguel Gutiérrez Chero/Reuters)

But overall, the police and military have responded disproportionately to protests, firing "bullets indiscriminately and, in some cases, at specific targets, killing or injuring bystanders, protesters and first responders." injuries," Amnesty said.

He cites the death of student John Erik Enciso Arias, 18, who died on December 12 in the town of Andahuaylas, in the Apurímac region, where citizens had gathered to observe and film the protests.

Erik's death has been confirmed by the Peruvian Ombudsman's Office.

According to Amnesty International, "videos and eyewitness accounts suggest that several police officers fired bullets from the roof of a building facing the hill that day. State officials confirmed to Amnesty International the presence of police on the roof and the organization has verified footage showing that John Erik was not using violence against the police when he was killed."

In another incident, as CNN reported, Leonardo Hancco, 32, died after being shot in the abdomen near the Ayacucho airport, where protesters had gathered with some trying to take control of the runway.

“Witnesses indicated that the armed forces fired live ammunition for at least seven hours in and around the airport, sometimes chasing protesters or firing in the direction of those helping the wounded,” Amnesty said of its investigation of the 15th of September incident. December.

CNN has not verified the circumstances of each death as described by Amnesty.

The report also cites the death of 17 civilians, killed during a protest in the Puno region, in the southeast of the country, on January 9, "where a high percentage of the indigenous population is concentrated," it writes.

The city's chief of legal medicine told CNN en Español that autopsies of the 17 dead civilians found wounds caused by firearm projectiles.

The police in Lima this Wednesday.


(Lucas Aguayo Araos/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

“The Attorney General's Office itself declared that the deaths were caused by projectiles from firearms, causing one of the most tragic and disturbing events in the entire country,” Amnesty wrote.

“The serious human rights crisis facing Peru has been fueled by stigmatization, criminalization and racism against indigenous peoples and peasant communities that today take to the streets exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and in response they have been violently punished," Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said in a statement.

"The widespread attacks against the population have implications in terms of the individual criminal responsibility of the authorities, including those at the highest level, for their action and omission to stop the repression."

Crisis in PeruProtests in Peru

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2023-02-16

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