Share
Copied
Supporters of Peru's former President Pedro Castillo, block the road leading to the Ilave International Bridge on the border between Peru and Bolivia in Puno, December 13, 2022. /CFP
Peru on Wednesday announced a nationwide 30-day state of emergency, which will allow soldiers to assist police in maintaining public safety after a week of fiery protests and road blockades sparked by the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo on December 7 in an impeachment vote.
"We have agreed to declare a state of emergency for the entire country, due to the vandalism and violence, and the seizure of highways and roads," acts that are being controlled by the National Police and the Armed Forces, Defense Minister Alberto Otarola said following a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
The protests, which have left seven people dead in the south of the country, "require a forceful and authoritative response from the government," he said.
Among the protesters' demands are early elections and Castillo's release from custody.
But Peru's new President Dina Boluarte has struggled to calm tensions and has called for the next election, normally due in 2026, to be brought forward to December 2023, after an earlier bid to hold them in 2024 failed to halt the protests.
On Wednesday, Peruvian prosecutors said they were seeking 18 months of pretrial detention for Castillo, who has been charged with rebellion and conspiracy. Peru's Supreme Court met to consider the request but later suspended the session until Thursday.
In his latest response, Castillo on Tuesday has called his arrest unjust and arbitrary and said he would "never give up and abandon this popular cause that brought me here."
(With input from agencies)
Search Trends
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2023 CGTN. 京ICP备16065310号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2023 CGTN. 京ICP备16065310号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466