Peru: Puno Decrees Three-Day Mourning for the Juliaca Massacre

On Tuesday, Governor Richard Hancco Soncco decreed three days of mourning in the department of Puno to honor the memory of 17 Peruvians who died as a result of police brutality deployed against citizens protesting in the city of Juliaca.

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His decree provides that the flag be hoisted halfway up in all public institutions in the region from Tuesday to Thursday. It also asks national authorities to initiate investigations to detect and punish those responsible for the deaths.

The Puno government rejected "any act of violence and the exaggerated use of public force by the Peruvian National Police and the Peruvian Armed Forces."

Given the growing protests in the highlands, social organizations also demand an end to police repression at a time when President Dina Boluarte is seeking support in Congress to remain in power until the early elections scheduled for 2014.

On Tuesday, Transportation Minister Paola Lazarte acknowledged that citizens have managed to interrupt traffic on the main highways in 44 strategic sites.

The tweet reads, "The Juliaca massacre was so serious that even right-wing media reported on it." "The crisis in Peru worsens. In the south of the country, protesters tried to block the airport in Juliaca. The clashes left 17 dead and over 30 injured. Due to the deaths, President Dina Boluarte suspended the 'National Agreement' meeting."

The President of the Council of Ministers, Alberto Otarola, is expected to hold talks with various parliamentary groups to request their support. The Juliaca massacre, however, will make those political negotiations difficult.

On Monday, the city of Juliaca lived the sixth consecutive day of anti-government protests demanding the resignation of Boluarte, the closure of Congress, early elections in 2023, and the immediate release of former President Pedro Castillo.

Since the right-wing-controlled congress appointed Boluarte as president in December 2022, State terrorism has left 44 citizens dead and dozens injured throughout the country.