Peru declares state of emergency, seeks 18 months’ jail for ousted president Castillo
- Peru’s new government declares police state as it struggles to calm violent protests over ouster and arrest of ex-president Pedro Castillo
- Declaration suspends the rights of assembly, freedom of movement, and gives authorities the ability to enter homes without a warrant
Peru announced a nationwide state of emergency, granting police special powers and limiting freedoms including the right to assembly, after a week of fiery protests that have left at least eight dead.
The protests were sparked by the ousting of former president Pedro Castillo on December 7 in an impeachment vote.
Castillo, a leftist elected in 2021, was arrested after illegally trying to dissolve the Andean nation’s Congress, the latest in a series of political crises the world’s second-largest copper producer has faced in recent years.
Prosecutors on Wednesday said they were seeking 18 months of pretrial detention for Castillo, who has been charged with rebellion and conspiracy. Peru’s Supreme Court met to consider the request but later suspended the session until Thursday.
Castillo’s former vice-president, Dina Boluarte, was sworn into office after his removal, and her presidency has divided other Latin American leaders.
The political upheaval has sparked angry and sometimes violent protests around the Andean country, especially in the rural and mining regions that propelled the former peasant farmer and teacher to office in July last year.