PUNO, PERU (AFP) – Peru’s prosecutor’s office yesterday said it was opening an inquiry against President Dina Boluarte and others for their role in the repression of anti-government protests that have seen at least 40 killed since December.
The government announced a curfew yesterday in the southern Puno region in a bid to suppress the violent protests a day after 18 people were killed there in clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
The inquiry is into whether the alleged crimes of “genocide, aggravated homicide and serious injuries” took place during anti-government demonstrations in the Apurimac, La Libertad, Puno, Junin, Arequipa and Ayacucho regions.
Puno, which borders Bolivia and is home to many Aymara Indigenous people, has become the epicentre of the protest movement against Boluarte by supporters of former president Pedro Castillo who was ousted and arrested on December 7.
Prime Minister Alberto Otarola, who is among those being investigated for alleged “genocide”, alongside the interior minister and defence minister said the three-day night-time curfew would run from 8pm to 4am.
