Lima, January 19 (Prensa Latina) A protester was shot dead by protesters today during the siege of the airport in the southern city of Arequipa, the second largest in the country, the regional government’s health management confirmed today.
The report states that in addition to the death of Jorge Condori, 30 years old and the victim of a bullet in his abdomen, there were 18 wounded, 14 civilians and four police officers.
Condori fell on the Añashuayco Bridge near Arequipa’s air terminal, and the city’s health network director Juan Alarcón said several of the injured were treated with pellets.
The civilian siege of the air terminal began in the morning and lasted until late afternoon, and the protesters punched a hole in the facility’s fence but were evacuated.
The death brought the number of civilians killed to 44 since the first wave of protests sparked after the December 7 sacking and imprisonment of President Pedro Castillo, of which Dina Boluarte was vice president.
The number, taken from the ombudsman’s office census, increases with the death of a police officer and with the deaths of nine civilians killed in accidents related to the protests, according to the same source.
Today’s money-making incident came amid a nationwide union strike and day of protests in Lima that included scores of protesters from the interior of the country, who clashed with police for most of the day.
There was also a nationwide strike called by the General Confederation of Workers of Peru (CGTP) in support of the provincial protest movement’s demands.
In addition to the resignation of President Boluarte, this includes the timely holding of early elections and a simultaneous referendum in which the population decides whether they want a constituent assembly or not.
Lamb/Ms