Democrats ask Biden to stop aid to Peru for repression

A group of House Democrats called on the Joe Biden administration to suspend all federal security assistance to Peru due to a “pattern of repression” against anti-government protests that has led to the death of more than 50 civilians.

The letter, sent Monday and a copy of which was shared with Associated Pressurges the Biden government to suspend all security assistance to the South American country until it can confirm that the repression has ended and that Peruvian officials responsible for human rights violations are being held accountable.

Peru’s foreign minister is in Washington this week in an attempt to rally international support for the increasingly embattled government of President Dina Boluarte. Boluarte, vice president in the government of President Pedro Castillo, faces growing pressure to resign which he inherited last month when Castillo was ousted and arrested for his failed attempt to shut down the Peruvian Congress.

“Security forces have responded indiscriminately with almost no consideration for the human rights of the protesters,” the letter states, which was signed by 20 mostly progressive Democrats in the lower house. “Instead of working to reduce tensions, the Boluarte government has substantially increased tensions, including by calling protesters ‘terrorists’ and limiting citizens’ right of mobility.”

The United States provides Peru with more than $40 million a year in security assistance, according to the Washington Office on Latin America. The vast majority are to help the South American country combat drug trafficking.

Although the protesters initially demanded that Castillo be released from jail, the agitation has spread across the country, drawing the support of many poor indigenous Peruvians who have benefited little from Peru’s mining-fuelled economic boom.

The demonstrators demand the resignation of Boluarte and the Congress and that elections be organized this year. Lawmakers rejected that request Friday, but after another protester was killed and Boluarte urged them to reconsider, the Congress narrowly agreed Monday to debate a proposal for there to be elections in October.

Meanwhile, as the protests extend into their second month, beleaguered security forces have used more force.

Among the incidents mentioned in the letter organized by Rep. Susan Wild is the national police raid on a student dormitory at the San Marcos University in Lima, which included the mass arrest of almost 200 people. The incident sparked outrage among Peruvians because campuses have long been off limits to security forces, except when crimes are committed.

The invasion of the university provoked harsh condemnation of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which said it has gathered testimony from civil society groups that say police invaded the dormitories of student leaders, made racist remarks to indigenous activists and forced women to strip and do squats.

United Nations and European Union officials have strongly condemned what they see as the disproportionate use of force. The Biden administration has been more dovish, calling for impartial investigations into the abuses while also expressing support for Boluarte’s efforts to restore calm and find a political solution.

Amid the turmoil, outgoing US Ambassador Lisa Kenna announced an additional $8 million in US support for coca eradication efforts in the remote Upper Huallaga Valley. She has also met with the defense minister and other cabinet members.

Such actions send a “mixed message,” says the letter, which was also signed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Rep. Jim McGovern, who has long expressed support for defending human rights in Latin America.

“The US government can and should do more,” they wrote. “We believe our proposed actions would send a powerful signal in support of fundamental rights and help promote effective participation in reaching a political solution.”

A copy of the letter was also sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

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