Peru’s Interior Minister, Vicente Romero, affirmed this Sunday that this weekend’s police operation at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM), in Lima, was justified, despite accusations of not having complied with legal procedures.
«I have asked for a detailed report of the intervention, but it was justified according to the law», he said in an interview in which he clarified that if there is any non-compliance, those responsible will be established.
Romero explained that the operation has taken place within the framework of the state of emergency, reason for which the presence of prosecutors was not necessary for the intervention.
«There was flagrancy and state of emergency, when there is flagrancy the National Police intervenes immediately, when there is flagrancy there is no need for the presence of the Prosecutor’s Office», has pointed out the head of Interior.
Around 400 police officers broke into the university located in the capital of the country with tanks and the support of special forces, without complying with the legal procedures for arrests.
Through an institutional communiqué, the UNMSM indicated that they requested the police intervention due to a complaint of aggression against private security, for which they requested the «liberation of the occupied gates».
«On Saturday, January 21, the Peruvian National Police, in evident use of force, entered the university campus, without the presence of the Ombudsman’s Office or the representative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Therefore, we denounce the abuse of authority towards our students,» reads the letter.
The Minister, who pointed out that the intervention was motivated to «provide security», emphasized that during the operation «not a single person was injured» by the security agents.
For Romero, the work of the police during these days of anti-government demonstrations in Peru has been «exceptional», while he said that the massive march of last week – known as ‘Toma de Lima’ – was a failure.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
