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PoliticsPeru

Peru's President faces fierce backlash over protest deaths

January 21, 2024

A woman, who evaded several bodyguards, assaulted and shook the president for a few seconds before she was taken away. Others called Boluarte a murderer.

https://p.dw.com/p/4bVQU
People protest against the government of Peru's President Dina Boluarte in Lima, Peru
Boluarte is Peru's sixth president since March 2018 and the first woman to hold the roleImage: Guadalupe Pardo/AP Photo/picture alliance

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Saturday faced anger from residents during her visit to the central city of Ayacucho where 10 people were killed in anti-government protests in late 2022.

Boluarte was throwing out candy as part of a ceremony at the laying of a new road when a woman dodged security by ducking under a parked truck. She approached and shook the president for a few seconds, before being bustled away by security.

The woman later identified herself as Ruth Barcena and said her late husband had been fatally shot during the 2022 protests.

"My husband was murdered here. They killed my husband, and they want me to calm down?" Barcena shouted.

Videos on social media showed people pushing up against security officials, shouting "Dina is a murderer!"

Former President Perdo Castillo was ousted and arrested in late 2022 for attempting to illegally close Congress and rule by decree. Then Castillo's vice president, Boluarte was rapidly sworn in. But people demanded she step down and fresh elections be held.

A crackdown on the protestors led to the death of at least 50 people, according to the rights group Human Rights Watch, which accused the authorities of extra-judicial killings.

Boluarte has also faced a constitutional complaint and investigation on allegations of "genocide, qualified homicide and serious injuries" — charges she denies. 

Response to the backlash

Prime Minister Jorge Otarola condemned Saturday's protest as a "lamentable" act on  X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, saying it had "put in danger the head of state's integrity and this is very serious."

"With violence, we all lose as a country," he wrote.

In a press conference, Interior Minister Víctor Torres said, "those responsible for the aggression have already been duly identified" and "they are being captured".

Torres further announced that all the bodyguards of the President were being relieved of their duties and being subjected to disciplinary measures.

mk/rc (Reuters, AFP, EFE)