Peru: Free Peru Supporter Dies After Attack by Fujimoristas

A supporter of Free Peru presidential candidate Pedro Castillo died on Tuesday after being under medical care following an attack on June 24.

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On that day, Sacarias Meneses, a 56-year-old man who was participating in a sit-in in defense of the vote, was assaulted by members of Popular Force, the far-right party that ran Keiko Fujimori for president.

"We regret to communicate that our comrade Sacarias Meneses died... This is a product of the blows that the Fujimoristas gave him in the head... Rest in peace comrade, we will never forget you," Free Peru twitted.

Regarding the death of this citizen, Castillo demanded the Peruvian authorities that the case be investigated expeditiously.

"My condolences to the family of Sacarias Meneses, a hero of democracy, who has demonstrated that constitutional rights are defended even with life. However, his death cannot go unpunished. I demand that the authorities investigate to find justice," he tweeted.

Scenes of the attack carried out by the fascist group The Resistance against Pedro Castillo's supporters outside the headquarters of the National Jury of Elections, Lima, Peru, June 24, 2021.

According to data from the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), Castillo obtained 50.12 percent of the votes cast in the elections held on June 6. The daughter of dictator Alberto Fujimori, on the other hand, received 49.88 percent of the votes. Between the two candidates there is a difference of 44,058 votes in favor of the leftist teacher.

Although national authorities and international observers have indicated that the electoral process took place normally, the far-right candidate is still trying to annul votes cast in rural areas that voted overwhelmingly in favor of Castillo.

To this end, her legal team filed several nullity lawsuits before the National Jury of Elections (JNE). As a result, so far, the authorities cannot officially declare Pedro Castillo as the president-elect.