Of these, 46 are civilians killed as a result of “the use of force” employed by the police and the military. Another 9 civilians perished in the context of the blockades. In addition, a policeman was found dead in a burned patrol car.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights last week urged the Peruvian authorities to carry out an impartial and timely investigation of the use of weapons by public forces in the context of the protests, given the results of autopsies performed on protesters who died with gunshot wounds to the body and chest.
The day before, Alberto Otárola, Boluarte’s prime minister and before his defense minister, announced that they planned to grant an additional amount of money to the salary of the police officers for “the immense sacrifice and professionalism” that they have shown in the brief government.
In contrast, the report questions that the government, far from taking steps to end the violence and separate the perpetrators of protester deaths, senior officials endorse and promote the actions of law enforcement. That, the document collects, “evidence that we are facing the guidelines of a State policy.”
A reporter for The Associated Press asked President Dina Boluarte Tuesday at a news conference with international correspondents at the presidential palace if she “expressly ordered not to use lethal weapons.” The president did not respond to the question.
Boluarte ratified at that conference the law enforcement actions during the protests and asked the protesters for “a truce” to talk about social needs. Hours later, the mass protests continued and the police suppressed them using tear gas.
The NGO report also states that the soldiers used prohibited ammunition for crowd control, including “metal pellets, glass marbles and bullets.” It is added that the police used AKM rifles, while the soldiers fired Galil brand rifles, based on videos released of the events recorded in various cities in the Andes, where almost all the deaths have occurred.
Yesterday Thursday afternoon, hundreds of protesters resumed the protests along the most important avenue that connects the northern part of the capital with the historic center of Lima.
