Peru's Armed Forces Caused 167 Deaths During Protests Between 2003 and 2020 (La República [Spanish] - 12/26/2022)

Peru's Armed Forces Caused 167 Deaths During Protests Between 2003 and 2020 (Spanish)

Deadly balance. This was reported by the lawyer of the National Human Rights Coordinator (CN.DD.HH.), Mar Pérez, who warned about the high rate of impunity in these murders. No one has been sanctioned for these acts of blood.

Pamela Palacios, La República

The repression by the Armed Forces and the Peruvian National Police has so far caused twenty-five deaths throughout the country, according to information from the National Human Rights Coordinator (CNDDHH). This, after the protests of the citizens who, after the failed coup d'état that Pedro Castillo tried to carry out, generated a social upheaval.

The regions where the deceased come from are Apurímac, Arequipa, La Libertad, Cusco, Ayacucho, and Junín.

“The murders in protests are not a new fact in Peru. From 2003 to 2020, there were 167 deaths at the hands of the armed forces. The most serious situations occurred when the Army intervened. The impunity rate in these murders is close to 100%,” said Mar Pérez, a lawyer for the CNDDHH.

Other Deaths

But this panorama of repression at the hands of the forces of order does not belong solely to the current government. In past administrations, numerous social conflicts also generated casualties. According to information systematized by La República, with reports from the Ombudsman's Office and the CNDDHH, from 2002 to 2019 there were at least 299 deaths, between civilians and police, because of social conflicts.

During the government of Alejandro Toledo, the so-called "Arequipazo" occurred, in rejection of the privatization of the Arequipa Electricity Generation Company (Egasa), which left two fatalities. There were also protests against the Río Blanco (Piura) mining project, where one of the victims died from the impact of a tear gas canister on the head and the second, from a bullet, according to the CNDDH.

In the second government of Alan García, the emblematic case of the 'Baguazo' occurred with twenty-three policemen and ten indigenous people dead in Bagua, because of the imposition of legislative decrees that affected the interests of the indigenous populations. However, the number of victims of that period is higher: 193 deaths in the context of social conflicts.

With García the conflict began in rejection of Tía María. In April 2011 there was a strike with three people dead.

During the government of Ollanta Humala there were seventy-three fatalities. The most remembered cases, due to opposition to mining activity, are Conga (6 dead), Espinar (3), and Tía María (4). As is remembered, Humala promised Cajamarca that he would defend its lagoons. But once in power he supported the start of the Conga project.

With Martín Vizcarra, military intervention was authorized in the port of Matarani to protect the Tía María mining project, against an indefinite strike. With Kuczynski, the Ombudsman registered thirteen deaths, four were due to socio-environmental conflicts. The death of a resident in Apurímac during the protest over the Las Bambas case is remembered.

“Use of force has become abuse of force”

The pattern of the use of force, which has become abuse of force, is not something that is emerging now but has been going on for many years. In 2012, in the Conga case, there were four deaths in Celendín and one in Bambamarca , and in the case of Celendín there were Galil Assault Rifle bullets that came from military helicopters.

This situation has been repeated in Ayacucho; therefore, it is something that has been coming for 10 years. Law 31012 of 2014 is the one that allows the imputability of members of the armed forces and police in the case of the control of mobilizations with the use of firearms. To date, all the people who have died in December 2022 have died from firearm projectiles (bullets, tear gas cannisters, etc.) and that means that, through this law, the social control with these types of weapons that should be prohibited has been allowed.

Tags: #Peru #Army #Deaths #Protests #Mar Perez #CCDDHH #Apurímac #Arequipa #Cusco #Ayacucho #Junin