UN Secretary-General António Guterres has shared his dismay at the number of deaths recorded in the ongoing protests in Peru, and urged the country’s authorities to carry out «prompt, effective and impartial» investigations into the protests.
As detailed in a statement by the spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres urged restraint to avoid a new escalation of violence and reiterated his call to the Peruvian government to comply with its international commitments on human rights.
Guterres also stressed the importance of peaceful protests, respecting the right to life and property.
«Even in times of public emergency, measures that suspend the right to peaceful assembly should be limited to what is strictly required by the situation and be consistent with other obligations under international law,» reads the UN letter.
Nevertheless, Guterres stressed that «it is essential» to create the conditions for a meaningful and inclusive dialogue between the Peruvian government and the protesters to address the current crisis facing the country.
Peru is in the midst of a deep political crisis following the impeachment by Congress of former President Pedro Castillo, who announced on December 7 the dissolution of the Andean Parliament and the establishment of an emergency government.
Following the arrest of the former president, tens of thousands of people came out to protest in various parts of the country to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, the dissolution of Congress and the urgent calling of presidential elections. Since then, more than 60 people have lost their lives in riots between demonstrators and security forces.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
