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Updated January 20th, 2023 at 19:42 IST

Peru's President seeks dialogue as 1 dead & over 30 injured in clashes during protests

Peru's President Dina Boluarte has called for dialogue after recent clashes between protestors and police during widespread rallies led to one death.

Reported by: Digital Desk
Peru
Image: AP | Image:self
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Peru's President Dina Boluarte has called for dialogue after recent clashes between protestors and police during widespread rallies led to one death and 30 injuries. In a press conference on Thursday night, Boluarte urged political leaders to be more objective and honest and to engage in discussions, as per a report from CNN news. Her comments came after street battles in Lima, Peru, where tens of thousands of demonstrators from across the country faced heavy police presence. Despite a state of emergency declared by the government, protesters continued to march through Lima, calling for Boluarte's resignation and demanding early general elections.

According to state television station TV Peru, a group of demonstrators were seen cutting through a security barrier and marching on Abancay Ave, near Congress, where they were seen attacking security personnel and throwing objects. In the city center, police officers were also seen using tear gas against some protesters. In the southern city of Arequipa, there were intense clashes between protestors and police, with the latter being targeted with rocks and being called "assassins" by the protesters. This led to the cancellation of flights in the city's airport. 

Boluarte says violent acts won't go unpunished

The interior ministry reported that a major fire broke out in the center of Lima, where ten firefighting units were sent to put out the flames. President Dina Boluarte stated that those who engaged in criminal acts of vandalism will be held accountable and that the law will be fully enforced. She also expressed her support for the press personnel who were attacked. Boluarte emphasized that the violent acts that occurred during the protests in December and January will not go unpunished, calling them "not a peaceful protest march". 

Authorities in Peru have been accused of using excessive force, including weapons, against demonstrators. However, police have defended their actions, stating that they are following international standards. The city's director of legal medicine reported that 17 people who died during protests in Juliaca on January 9 had gunshot wounds according to the autopsies. Days later, a police officer was also burned to death by unknown individuals. The incident in Juliaca, according to Jo-Marie Burt, a senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America, was "the biggest civilian death toll in the country since Peru's restoration to democracy" in 2000.

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Published January 20th, 2023 at 19:18 IST

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