They denounce racist bias in the repression of protesters in Peru

In Peru, 100 days of protests against the government of President Dina Boluarte, who assumed power after the removal of her predecessor, the imprisoned former president Pedro Castillo for his failed self-coup, marked 100 days.

A wave of violence has gripped the country, with acts of vandalism and police repression.

The organization Amnesty International counts up to 76 people dead, mostly protesters who died in direct confrontations with the forces of order.

Amnesty International has also denounced this Friday, March 17, that the repression has racist characteristics.

“Lethal force has been more pronounced in regions despite the fact that the number of violent incidents has been similar in Lima as in regions,” says Madeleine Penman, Amnesty International’s regional researcher for the Americas.

“Lethal live ammunition weapons have been used in regions such as Ayacucho, Apurímac and Puno. In Lima we have seen the improper use of ‘potentially lethal’ weapons, such as tear gas, etc,” explains Penman, who analyzed this data by comparing it with census data regarding ethnicity.

“entrenched discrimination”

“All these data are accompanied by speeches from leaders in Peru who present people from the south of the country as people who do not have a legitimate right to protest,” he says.

According to Amnesty, this racism in the repression is part of a larger phenomenon. “There is a racist bias in terms of the police response. It is part of a context of deep-rooted discrimination in Peru regarding groups of the population whose rights have been trampled on for decades”, analyzes Madeleine Penman.

Supporters of former President Pedro Castillo continue to demand the resignation of the government, the closure of Congress and the advancement of the elections to 2023.