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Prosecutor Of Peru Launches Probe Into President After Deadly Protests
(CTN NEWS) – LIMA – Tuesday saw the death of a police officer set ablaze in his car following the death of 17 civilians in Peru protests the day before, which were all started by the ousting of president Pedro Castillo last month.
Amid the bloodshed, Peru’s attorney general said on Tuesday that accusations of genocide, homicide, and serious injury had been brought against President Dina Boluarte, Prime Minister Alberto Otarola, and the interior and defense ministers of the nation.
At least 40 people have died in the turmoil since protests started in early December, and hundreds more have been hurt.
The office of Peru’s Ombudsman called for nonviolent demonstrations and a thorough investigation of the killings in a statement released Tuesday.
In several areas of southern Peru, a three-day mourning period began on Tuesday. The prime minister also declared a three-day midnight curfew in Puno to stop the violence.
Peruvian congressman Wilson Quispe of the leftist Peru Libre party holds a sign reading ‘Stop militarization’ during the Congress in Lima plenary session on Tuesday. (Sebastian Castaneda/Pool/Reuters)
Officer “Burned Alive”
According to the Interior Ministry, an “unknown person” attacked the vehicle carrying the murdered police early on Tuesday morning in Juliaca, which is in the southern Puno region. Another officer was injured, sustaining several head wounds.
A mob “ambushed” the police officer’s vehicle, according to Raul Alfaro, a senior police commander, who then proceeded to assault him and other policemen while disarming them.
Alfaro added, “They burned him alive.”
According to him, police have opened an inquiry to find the culprits. Earlier on Tuesday, a representative of the Interior Ministry stated that the officer’s body, Jose Luis Soncco, was undergoing an autopsy.
The attack left a second police officer with multiple head wounds, the ministry claims.
Soncco was killed with “severe violence,” according to the office, which also denounced an arson attack on a congressman’s Puno home while family members were still present.
Otarola asked MPs to accept a vote of confidence for Boluarte’s cabinet, which is required to lead a new government, earlier on Tuesday in an attempt to officially launch the new administration.
Security forces stand guard during a protest near the Juliaca airport on Monday. (Hugo Courotto/Reuters)
UN Calls For Adherence To Human Rights
Protesters call for Boluarte’s resignation, the dissolution of Congress, constitutional amendments, and Castillo’s release.
To continue his investigation into the accusation of inciting rebellion, which he rejects, Castillo has been ordered to remain in pre-trial prison.
After less than two years in the office, a former rural teacher removed from office claims he is still Peru’s legitimate leader.
Castillo stated on Twitter that the lives lost while “defending the country from the coup dictatorship” would never be forgotten.
In a second statement, the United Nations encouraged respect for human rights and offered to mediate the crisis. Later this week, a mission from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will visit Peru to investigate the situation.
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