Peru Declares a State of Emergency Amidst Violent Protests

Updated January 24th, 2023

• The death toll has risen to 55 people.
• Over 400 tourists were evacuated from Machu Picchu over the weekend as protests erupt in Cusco, the ancient Incan capital and heart of Peru's tourism sector.

Updated January 19th, 2023

• Nearly 12,000 police officers have been dispatched to Lima in expectation of further protests.
• Protestors are expected to march towards downtown Lima on Thursday to continue their demands for the resignation of President Dina Boluarte.

What's the story?

• A state of emergency has been declared in Peru, as the country faces the worst outbreak of violence in two decades.
• Peruvian security forces have brutally cracked down on protesters, who are demanding a change in leadership.
• Over 50 people have been confirmed dead. 

The State of Emergency

• The measure is in force for 30 days, wherein the army can intervene to maintain order.
• Several constitutional rights - such as freedom of movement and freedom of assembly  - are suspended.
• In addition to the capital, the state of emergency covers the regions of Cusco and Puno and the port of Callao, next to Lima

What Do the Protestors Want?

• The protestors want Dina Boluarte removed as president. Boluarte, the sixth president the country has had in five years, refuses to step down despite growing calls for her replacement. She declared:

 “I will not resign. My commitment is with Peru.”

• Citizens are demanding the dissolution of Congress.
• Protestors want former leftist president Pedro Castillo to be released from jail, where he was sent after his arrest on charges of rebellion.
• Protestors are also demanding the drafting of a new constitution.
• Protestors are frustrated with the gap between rich and poor, and the insufficient resources available for the population, reflected in the fact that Peru suffered the highest per capita death toll in the world.

Who is Pedro Castillo?

• Castillo was voted into office in 2021, following years of economic, political, and public safety crises brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. He is a union leader and socialist from a poor Andean village and - to supporters - offered an antidote to establishment politics.
• Despite Castillo’s challenges in office, which included corruption scandals, he retained a mass of supporters who see him as the scapegoat of the political establishment. In November, he had a 27% approval rating, whereas Congress had an 18% approval rating, according to IPSOS (the Institut Public de Sondage d'Opinion Secteur, a multinational market research and consulting firm).
• Castillo's removal occurred within the context of an ongoing clash between the executive branch and the legislature. 

What Tactics Are Being Used?

• Protestors have blockaded highways, shut down airports, and set buildings on fire.
• Peru’s left-leaning, largely indigenous south - which has been neglected by the whiter urban centers - has been the epicenter of the recent violence.
• Over 2,000 tourists had to be evacuated from tourist sites like Cusco and Machu Picchu due to protests.
• More than 100 roadblocks have been set up by protesters to disrupt traffic.

Criticism of the Regime

• The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and various human rights groups have sounded the alarm about excessive force being used against protestors, and authorities have used firearms, and smoke bombs against protestors, and some civilians.
• On January 10th, Peru’s prosecutor’s office launched an inquiry into Boluarte on charges of genocide and qualified homicide.

Should the U.S. government intervene in Peru? How? Sanctions? Peacekeepers? Pledges of support for one side or the other?

—Emma Kansiz

(Photo Credit: Twitter/Canva)