Peru is on edge as protesters converge on the capital
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Anti-government protesters clash with police in Lima on Wednesday.Martin Mejia / AP -
Anti-government protesters who traveled to the capital from across the country march against Peruvian President Dina Boluarte in Lima on Wednesday.Martin Mejia / AP -
President of Congress José Williams (left) and Sen. Jose Cevasco place the presidential sash on Vice President Dina Boluarte as she is sworn in as the country's new president in Lima on Dec. 7.Guadalupe Pardo / AP -
Tear gas is thrown back at police trying to break up supporters of ousted President Pedro Castillo at Plaza San Martin in Lima, on Dec. 11.Martin Mejia / AP
LIMA, Peru — Peru's capital is bracing for large demonstrations against the government over coming days. Thousands of rural residents have been streaming into Lima to demand justice for the more than 50 people killed in weeks of protests.
Demonstrators began blocking roads and storming airports around the country after the arrest and impeachment of former President Pedro Castillo last month. The political newcomer was facing a third impeachment attempt and prior to the vote, attempted to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.
His vice president, Dina Boluarte, was sworn in immediately following Castillo's jailing.
What the demonstrators are demanding
Demonstrators want Boluarte to resign and for new elections to be held. She has imposed a state of emergency in the capital Lima and three other regions.
What began as protests demanding the release and restitution of Castillo have morphed into widespread calls for justice for those killed by what activists say is excessive force by police and the military.
Protesters also want to bring attention to long-standing social and economic inequality in the country. The wealth gap between Peru's indigenous south and the urban capital has long been present, but has widened in recent years.
Dina Lopez came to Lima from her highland city of Ayacucho to participate in protests. "No one pays attention to us out there — where are our human rights?" she said. She spoke to NPR as police attempted to remove her and fellow protesters from the doorsteps of a church.
"That woman is deaf to our suffering," Lopez added, referring to President Boluarte.
For her part, Boluarte says she is not leaving. "These necessities will be resolved, only when we get together and converse pacifically," she said while attending the opening session of Peru's Constitutional Court on Tuesday.
She said the historic needs of Peru's poor and indigenous communities can't be addressed through violence.
There are fears of escalating and prolonged violence
The divide between Peru's Lima elite and the rest of the country is nothing new, but these prolonged protests are unusual, Alberto Vergara, a political scientist at Lima's Pacific University, told NPR.
"Now we have 50 dead and we are on a path to have more," he warns. Vergara fears that given Peru's dysfunctional political system more violence is inevitable.
Indeed, Peru has had 10 presidents in more than 20 years of political upheaval, with one leader lasting just six days.
Vergara said Peru's mediocre politicians are the threat here — not tyranny which usually leads to democratic demise. "Peru is perhaps showing us that chaos and disorder can also be the opposite of democracy," he said.
Security services are accused of excessive force
Conservatives, including Congressman Jorge Montoya, warn of possible terrorism links to the ongoing demonstrations and unrest. He claims, without evidence, that the marchers are backed by communists and drug traffickers.
"There is no dialogue, no dialogue is necessary. What is necessary is to correct what is wrong," Montoya told NPR. He is calling for a strong hand by security forces to end the demonstrations, and even says it was the protesters who shot at civilians during demonstrators.
Human rights lawyer Juan Miguel Jugo says that is absurd. "There is no proof that happened," he told NPR. He said the deaths were caused by excessive force by the police that shot civilians in the head, chest and limbs.
Protesters say they will continue marching until the president and Congress are gone and new elections are scheduled for this year. One woman, who would only give NPR her first name, Tanya, for fear of government retaliation, said she will not be backing down.
"Our eyes have been opened and we will continue fighting," she said.
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Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Protesters in Lima, Peru, are calling for the resignation of the president and new elections. At least 50 people have been killed during these demonstrations. You may recall that the former president, Pedro Castillo, tried to dissolve Congress recently and was promptly removed from office. Now there's a new president, Dina Boluarte, and the protesters blame her for the unrest. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports from Lima.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Like other cities, Peru's capital, Lima, is under special emergency orders limiting protests.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: This officer tells a group camped out in front of a church that means they have to move on. A phalanx of officers in riot gear stare on from across the street as the crowd shouts back.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: One woman yells, what are you going to do, shoot us? She's referring to at least 50 who have died in confrontations with security forces in the past month, ever since former President Pedro Castillo attempted to rule by decree. Once arrested and impeached, his vice president, Dina Boluarte, took power.
DINA LOPEZ: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: "That woman is deaf to what is happening to us outside the capital," says Dina Lopez (ph), a mother of three and potato vendor from the Andean city of Ayacucho. Supporters of former President Castillo like her have been blocking highways and taking over airports to protest his ouster.
LOPEZ: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: But she says out there, no one pays attention to us, to our rights. So now thousands are bringing their list of grievances straight to Lima. What began as marches in support of Castillo has morphed into wider demands for justice, the resignation of President Boluarte and a new constitution. Boluarte says she's not leaving.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DINA BOLUARTE: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: She says historic needs of Peru's poor and Indigenous communities can't be addressed through violence. Political scientist at Lima's Pacific University Alberto Vergara says the divide between Peru's Lima elite and the rest of the country is nothing new. However, he says these prolonged protests are unusual.
ALBERTO VERGARA: Because now we have 50 dead, and we are in a path to have more.
KAHN: He fears, given Peru's dysfunctional political system, more violence is inevitable. Indeed, Peru has had six presidents in the last four years, with one leader lasting just six days. Vergara says Peru's mediocre politicians are the threat here, not tyranny, which usually leads to democratic demise.
VERGARA: Peru is perhaps showing us that chaos and disorder can also be the opposite of democracy.
KAHN: As the capital braces for more protests, Lima's conservatives, like Congressmen Jorge Montoya, warns of possible terrorism. He claims, without evidence, the marchers are backed by communists and drug traffickers.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JORGE MONTOYA: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: He says there's no reason to dialogue with terrorists and insists more force is needed. He even says the protesters were responsible for the deaths.
JUAN MIGUEL JUGO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: "That's absurd. There's no proof of that," says Juan Miguel Jugo, a leading human rights lawyer. He says police used excessive force, shooting civilians in the head, chest and limbs. Protesters like this woman, who came to the capital from rural Ayacucho, says they aren't backing down.
TANYA: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: She would only give her first name, Tanya (ph), out of fear of government retaliation. She says, our eyes have been opened, and we will continue fighting.
Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Lima, Peru.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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