LIMA, Peru – President Pedro Castillo lifted an unprecedented emergency decree that suspended civil liberties in the Peruvian capital, Lima, on Tuesday, as his increasingly isolated government had to struggled to quell a series of violent protests caused by soaring fuel, fertilizer and food costs. country in recent days.
The president announced a curfew just before midnight on Monday, in a televised message that caught people in the capital of nearly 10 million people by surprise and provoked criticism from many sections of Peruvian society. In enacting the restrictions, he cited the recent unrest and asked residents of Lima and the neighboring port city of Callao to stay in their homes for about 24 hours.
He had to turn back on Tuesday as protesters wore red and white national football jerseys and waved Peruvian flags despite orders demanding his resignation in downtown Lima, while Mr. Castillo held talks. with legislators. Protesters celebrate outside Parliament after widespread discontent prompted Mr. Castillo to reconsider.
“Peru is not going through a good time,” Mr. Castillo said after announcing the curfew would be lifted. He added that his government must act to resolve the issues, saying: “We will go to the office of the president to sign and repeal this immutable measure.”
Clashes between protesters and police continued as dusk fell, with officers firing tear gas and residents hurling rocks at them.
The order went into effect just two hours after Mr. Castillo’s televised statement, shocking a country where many have lost confidence in the government following corruption scandals, political feuds and unrest in the country. in recent years – sidelined three people. Presidents and former leaders and politicians have landed in prison.
The measure was immediately denounced by human rights lawyers, activists and critics as disproportionate and authoritarian, and analysts say it reveals a growing paranoia within the government. Castillo’s authority, as he ran erratically and politically during his first eight months. in the office.
Eduardo Dargent, a political scientist in Lima, calls it “a defense against a weak government, a clumsy government that is getting weaker and weaker.”
The ombudsman’s office, a state agency that advocates for human rights, and representatives of various political parties as well as human rights groups and business associations have all called on Mr. Castillo to repeal the measure. On Tuesday afternoon, at least hundreds of protesters defied the blockade order, gathering downtown to protest and call for Mr. Castillo’s resignation.
Protests against fuel and fertilizer price hikes, originally caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, entered their second week on Monday, and have expanded into full-blown anti-government protests in some areas, with at least four deaths linked to the unrest.
While most of the violence in recent days has taken place outside the capital, a minister in Castillo’s cabinet on Tuesday said the decision to impose a Lima-wide curfew was based on information from a far-right legislator, Jorge Montoya, a former marine officer who just a week ago supported a second failed attempt to impeach the president.
Mr. Montoya told journalists on Tuesday that he had intelligence indicating that people had been planning “from the top of the hill” to loot Lima, echoing a conspiracy theory in the capital playing about games racist about Peruvians from the Andes.
Residents of the capital pounded pots and pans to protest the measure at midday on Tuesday. The streets of the capital were mostly empty for the day, according to images broadcast on local television stations, as public transport was shut down, schools closed and police set up Set up checkpoints to limit traffic.
Juan Lopez, 27, a doorman in Lima, didn’t discover the curfew until Tuesday morning. “Everything is ruined,” he said.
“He promised a lot but he didn’t do anything,” Mr. Lopez said, referring to Mr. Castillo. He added that the state of emergency appeared to be a “provocation”. “Everybody will rise.”
Mr. Castillo, a farmer and union activist who for more than two months led the teachers’ strike that closed schools in 2017, announced the decree on the eve of the 30th anniversary Alberto Fujimori’s “self-coup”, when the former strongman ordered the military to take control of Congress and the courts, marked the beginning of his dictatorship.
Like Mr. Fujimori, Mr. Castillo was democratically elected on a populist background, fueled by an anti-establishment sentiment after years of economic and political turmoil. He narrowly defeated Mr. Fujimori’s daughter, who has become the embodiment of politics, in last year’s election.
In his first eight months in power, Mr. Castillo burned through his political capital and dropped his approval rating as he zigzaated left to right, stumbling from scandal to scandal and executing a series of scandals. controversial appointment, while failing to propose any meaningful reforms. .
He has so far survived two impeachments and faces growing corruption charges that analysts say will almost certainly lead to him being formally investigated for criminal activity. after his term and presidential immunity ended.
Jo-Marie Burt, a professor of Latin American studies at George Mason University, said: “As this incompetence and inefficiency continues, the temptation to authoritarianism grows stronger, and that is why. I came up with this,” said Jo-Marie Burt, professor of Latin American studies at George Mason University. Professor Burt lived in Lima during the country’s bloody internal conflict in the 1980s, when nighttime curfews were in place as the government cracked down on leftist uprisings.
Even in the worst periods of violence, she said, Peru did not implement a 24-hour curfew.
After ignoring the protests for days, Mr. Castillo accused their leaders of being paid to stir up unrest, infuriating protesters. His prime minister has told people to eat fish if they can’t afford chicken, even though fish is more expensive, and his defense minister has appeared to minimize four deaths related to it. the riots.
