Democratic congressmen from the United States asked President Joe Biden to suspend all security collaboration with Peru in the face of the repressive response of the Peruvian government to the wave of protests that began last month after the impeachment of former left-wing president Pedro Castillo.
In a letter sent Monday night, the group of members of the House of Representatives denounced the “indiscriminate violence” and the “constant and excessive use of force” to suppress the protests, which demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte. and early elections.
The twenty signatories of the letter They asked the Democrat Biden to publicly denounce “the continuous violations of human rights” and pressure the Government of Peru to respect the right to legitimate peaceful protest and due process.
Nearly 50 people have died from acts of violence related to the demonstrations in Peru that began on December 7, which also demand the release of Castillo, who is in preventive detention, and the creation of a constituent assembly to modify the Constitution.
As a consequence of this “worsening” of the political situation, lawmakers urged Biden to temporarily halt all security assistance funding until verifying that not only has the repression ended, but that those responsible will be held accountable.
The letter noted that the protests have expanded to call for “far-reaching political changes,” noting that those participating in them are “low-income Peruvians and indigenous people from rural areas,” the DPA news agency reported.
The letter noted that the protests have expanded to call for “far-reaching political changes,” noting that those participating in them are “low-income Peruvians and indigenous people from rural areas.”
“Peruvian security forces have responded to the mostly peaceful protests with arbitrary and disproportionate use of force”can be read in the letter, which mentions episodes such as the “violent raid” at the University of San Marcos in Lima on January 22.
“An unprecedented action in Peru’s recent democratic history,” which “underscores the urgent need for a forceful response from the United States,” the letter added.
The crisis had repercussions in the region.
The progressive or left-wing governments of Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and Honduras expressed their concern over the repressive response of the Boluarte government to the demonstrations, which led to diplomatic friction with Lima.
The Organization of American States (OAS) once again called on the Peruvian authorities to hold elections “soon” with international observation and reiterated its concern about the “excessive use of force” in the repression of the protests.
The OAS made a “firm call to the Peruvian authorities to ensure democratic governance and institutionality by promptly holding fair, free, and transparent general elections, with international electoral observation,” in a resolution issued after a new extraordinary session of its Permanent Council.
