The Peruvian Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation on Tuesday against the Minister of the Interior, Vicente Romero, for the alleged commission of a crime of functional acts for the police operation organized on the campus of the University of San Marcos (UNMSM), in Lima, last Saturday.
«The Prosecutor of the Nation opens preliminary investigation against Vicente Romero, Minister of the Interior, as alleged perpetrator of the crime of omission of functional acts, to the detriment of the State, due to the events that occurred at the UNMSM facilities on January 21,» reads a statement released by the Public Prosecutor’s Office on the social network Twitter.
The Peruvian government ordered a police operation at the educational center to evict demonstrators who had locked themselves in its facilities in an action that resulted in at least 205 detainees and criticism from international organizations.
Around 400 police officers broke into the university located in the country’s capital with tanks and the support of special forces, without complying with the legal procedures for arrests.
Peru’s Interior Minister, Vicente Romero, has previously explained that the operation took place within the framework of the state of emergency, which is why the presence of prosecutors was not necessary for the intervention, as Human Rights organizations have been denouncing.
Organizations such as Amnesty International have condemned the «disproportionate use of force» and respect for Human Rights. «The state of emergency does not suspend due process. Detainees must have access to their defense at all times and be provided with interpreters if needed. The prohibition of incommunicado detention and cruel and inhuman treatment is maintained,» the international organization recalled.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
