The general of the Peruvian National Police, Víctor Zanabria, justified on Tuesday that the acts of violence directed against agents «increase the risks and possibly death», after seven deaths were confirmed in clashes with security forces in the protests in support of former president Pedro Castillo.
«Acts of violence against police personnel increase the risk and possibly death. We have the ownership of the use of force», said Zanabria, who said that they will increase the level of response and will begin to use rubber bullets «given the level of violence».
However, General Zanabria’s announcement contrasts with the statements of the President, Dina Boluarte, who assured this same Tuesday that she has given orders to the police not to use any lethal weapon, not even rubber bullets», reports the Peruvian newspaper ‘La Republica’.
Zanabria has detailed that more than 5,000 members of the National Police have been permanently deployed in different points of the historic center of Lima to contain the protests that for days have been registered in the capital in support of Castillo, imprisoned and accused a few days ago of a crime of rebellion.
For now, the new government of Boluarte has ruled out the presence of the Army in the streets of the country. «There will be no militarization and repression of the Armed Forces», said the Minister of Defense, Alberto Otárola.
Castillo has been in prison since last Wednesday, December 7, awaiting a judicial decision to confirm or not his release while he is being investigated for an alleged crime of rebellion after unsuccessfully announcing his intention to dissolve Congress and call legislative elections to initiate a new constituent process to change the Magna Carta inherited from Fujimori’s regime.
The arrest took place when he was about to go to the Mexican Embassy to request asylum. In the meantime, Congress approved his dismissal through a motion of censure, the third he has faced since he took office a little more than a year and a half ago.
Since then, there has been a succession of protests in support of him and in favor of shutting down a Congress that from day one has been maneuvering to get him out of office. The current toll is seven dead and fifty injured between police and demonstrators. The new government of Dina Boluarte has called for dialogue and has convened a crisis cabinet to deal with the situation.
