CNN
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The Peruvian government is providing for bereaved families in nationwide protest from December 8 to February 10, about $13,000 in financial assistance, according to an ordinance published Tuesday by the official newspaper “El Peruano”.
Each family will be given about US$13,000 (50,000 nuevos), while the injured will receive half of this amount, or US$6,500 (25,000 nuevos), according to the decree.
The payments have been classified as financial assistance to civilians and police and are not considered compensation, the ordinance added.
Amnesty International criticized the government for not being responsible for the deaths in a statement.
“Economic assistance to the dead and injured is an obligation of the State due to the familial influence of families but does not exempt (the state) from its responsibility to seek truth, justice and reparation for the victims. victims for their abuse of rights. human rights,” it wrote on Twitter.
As CNN first reportedPeruvian families have been demanding compensation for the dead and injured around the protests since former President Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested in December. His dismissal sparked the spark. for protests amid deep discontent over living conditions and inequality in the country.
Peru’s Ombudsman office said at least 60 people had died in connection with the protests, including a police officer. Most of those deaths occurred outside of Lima. As of February 22, seven people have died in Apurimac, ten in Ayacucho and twenty in Puno, for example, according to the same organization.
The government’s announcement comes after Amnesty International released a preliminary report accusing Peruvian authorities of acting with “clearly racist bias” in its crackdown on protests. last week.
The human rights group also accused Peruvian security forces of using lethal ammunition “as one of the main methods of dispersing protests, even when there is no obvious risk to people’s lives.” other” – in violation of international human rights standards.
CNN has reached out to the Departments of Defense and Home Affairs for comment on the Amnesty International report and allegations of excessive force against protesters. The Defense Department declined to comment and told CNN that the Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office it is collaborating with is conducting an investigation.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry also declined to comment, highlighting the ongoing investigation by the prosecutor’s office.
