Peruvian President Boluarte to Testify on Deaths in Protests

On Wednesday, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte will respond to the summons from the Prosecutor's Office regarding the 49 deaths in direct confrontations with law enforcement and the 77 fatalities during protest mobilizations that occurred between December and March.

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The Prosecutor's Office summoned Boluarte to testify in the preliminary investigation it has initiated against her and other high-ranking officials for the alleged commission of crimes such as genocide, qualified homicide, and abuse of authority.

Boluarte has been summoned this Wednesday to the main headquarters of the Prosecutor's Office in downtown Lima, starting at 9:00 AM. The Head of the Council of Ministers, Alberto Otarola, confirmed that Boluarte will attend the summons.

"President Boluarte sends warm greetings. She is preparing to attend a judicial proceeding due to the decisions she made in defense of democracy," Otarola said.

The Prosecutor's Office also summoned Otarola for the same case on Wednesday at 2:30 PM, but he has not commented on the matter.

Boluarte had previously appeared at the Prosecutor's Office twice in the context of this investigation. However, on March 7, she did not provide a statement because she was awaiting the resolution of a rights protection request filed by the Public Defender's Office, which requested her inclusion in the investigation based on Otarola's statement.

On June 6, Boluarte responded for approximately three hours before the Public Ministry. Afterward, her lawyer, Joseph Campos, told the media that the Peruvian president expected to be excluded from the investigations.

PM Otorola stated that the work stoppage in mining companies due to protests was caused by "very small and violent groups that sowed destruction and immobility" in various southern regions, using unaddressed social demands as a pretext. 

"But we all know it was in support of the coup attempt by the former president Pedro Castillo, and to overthrow the new regime," he added, referring to the ousted former leader for his attempted coup in December.