Police officers patrol along the Panamericana near La Joya as protesters blocked the way, January 12, 2023. DIEGO RAMOS / AFP
The Peruvian government declared a state of emergency in the capital Lima and several other regions on Saturday, January 14, amid anti-President Dina Boluarte demonstrations that have killed at least 42 people in the country for the past five weeks.
This measure, in force for thirty days, authorizes the army to intervene to maintain order and results in the suspension of several constitutional rights such as freedom of movement and assembly and the inviolability of the home, according to a decree published in the Official on Saturday evening Newspaper.
In addition to the capital, the departments of Cuzco and Puno (south) are particularly affected by the state of emergency, as is the port of Callao next to Lima.
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More than a hundred roadblocks blocked traffic across Peru on Saturday, especially in the south, the epicenter of the protests, but also around Lima.
“Traitor”
However, authorities on Saturday reopened Cusco International Airport, vital to Peru’s tourism sector.
A protester holds a sign that reads ‘There will be peace when President Dina resigns’. In Lima January 13, 2023. SEBASTIAN CASTANEDA/ Portal
The protests erupted after the December 7 sacking and arrest of Socialist President Pedro Castillo, who was accused of trying to stage a coup d’état by trying to dissolve parliament, which would oust him from power.
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Ms. Boluarte, Mr. Castillo’s vice-president, succeeded him in accordance with the constitution and belongs to the same left-wing party as he does. But the demonstrators, who see her as a “traitor”, are demanding her resignation and immediate new elections.
For now, Ms. Boluarte is refusing to resign.