UN Asks Peruvian Government Not to Stigmatize Protesters

On Wednesday, United Nations Secretary Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the death toll during protests against President Dina Boluarte in Peru.

RELATED: 

Peruvian Police and Parapolice Attack Protesters in Ica Region

He asked Peruvian authorities to comply with international commitments on human rights, avoid stigmatizing protesters, and foster a meaningful and inclusive dialogue that allows solving the ongoing political crisis.

The UN Secretary also requested that "prompt, effective and impartial investigations" be carried out into the deaths registered in the protests that began on Dec. 7, 2022, after Congress removed President Pedro Castillo from office.

Guterres recalled that measures such as the suspension of the right to peaceful assembly must be limited to what is strictly required by the situation and be consistent with other obligations under international law.

The tweet reads, "Basic products shortage in several areas of Peru due to roadblocks. Protests demanding the resignation of Dina Boluarte do not stop. The president insists that she will not resign and that the elections will be in 2024. Sixty-three people have died in the protests."

On Wednesday, Boluarte made a virtual presentation before the Organization of American States (OAS), an institution that has operated as Washington's diplomatic arm to promote and endorse coups in Latin America.

In a "protocol session" organized to provide external support to her administration, Boluarte referred to the brutal repression, which has left over 60 dead in less than two months of government, as if it were a matter in which she would not have responsibility.

"It deeply hurts us that, amid recent demonstrations in various parts of the country, the irreplaceable lives of a significant number of compatriots have been lost and that their rights may have been affected. We hope that justice will continue its course and establish responsibilities soon," she said.

In this regard, the newspaper La Izquierda commented that "Boluarte tries to show a supposed empathy with the pain of the victims' families," which is "one of the many lies that the coup-born president usually manifests."