Peru: Prosecutor Office Seeks 35 Years for 8 Police Involved in 2 Protester Deaths
Small memorial with photos of the young Brayan Pintado and Inti Sotelo, killed by the Peruvian police in 2020. Photo: X
June 14, 2025 Hour: 1:32 pm
The Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office has requested 35 years in prison for eight National Police officers for their alleged responsibility in the aggravated murder of two protesters.
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The protesters died on November 14, 2020, in Lima, amid a wave of protests which erupted after the dismissal of former President Martín Vizcarra, as reported this Saturday by the lawyer for the bereaved.
The prosecutor’s accusation also includes serious and minor injuries against another 74 protesters and abuse of authority by Generals Jorge Lam, Jorge Cayas, and Carlos Villafuerte, Colonel Percy Tenorio, Commanders Luis Castañeda and Gulianno Arguedas, and Major José Solari.
Lawyer Ronald Gamarra, who represents the family of Bryan Pintado, one of the two young men killed in that protest, told the newspaper La República that, after two years of “objective and diligent” investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office, “it has been concluded that there are more than enough reasons to formulate an accusatory request.”
Gamarra expleined that crimes committed in the context of disproportionate police repression were reported, including the arbitrary use of force with prohibited ammunition fired directly at the body of demonstrators. These actions resulted in the deaths of Inti Sotelo and Bryan, as well as injuries to more than 70 people.
The Judiciary has notified the indictment to the accused police officers, the relatives of Inti and Bryan, and more than 70 citizens who were injured. The prosecution review hearing will be held on 12 August, as a step before the commencement of the oral trial. Inti’s sister hopes that the charge will be accepted and that the sentence requested will be served for those responsible accused of manslaughter.
The November 14, 2020 protest march concentrated thousands of young people in the historical center of Lima to reject the dismissal of former president Vizcarra on alleged corruption charges and the transitional government of Manuel Merino, who was forced to resign after the street demonstrations.
The National Police were singled out, in various reports from the Ombudsman’s Office and international human rights organizations, for having applied a disproportionate and lethal use of force that caused the death of Inti Sotelo and Bryan Pintado, in addition to dozens of injuries that day.