The human rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report stating that Peru’s official security forces may have executed dozens of demonstrators during protests against President Dina Boluarte, which took place between December 2022 and February 2023. According to HRW, the country’s police and military are responsible for brutal abuses, including extrajudicial or arbitrary executions, against protesters and bystanders. During the protests, there were 49 deaths, of which 39 were victims of gunshot wounds, according to autopsies, ballistics reports, and medical records.
The protests began after the ouster of Pedro Castillo on December 7, 2022, following his failed attempt to dissolve Congress and rule by decree. Boluarte, who until then had been vice president, assumed power amid demonstrations demanding his resignation and early elections. Castillo is being held in pretrial detention pending a decision on whether he will be called to trial.
HRW has called for an independent commission of international experts to accompany the criminal investigations being carried out by the Peruvian prosecutor’s office, for the investigations into these killings to be impartial and thorough, and to reach those responsible for the abuses, including those at the highest levels of government. The protests also saw six soldiers drown while fleeing protesters, one police officer killed, and more than 1,300 people injured, including hundreds of police officers.
Peruvian prosecutors are investigating President Boluarte and other senior officials for the alleged crimes of genocide, aggravated homicide, and grievous bodily harm, although Boluarte has immunity until her term ends in July 2026. The HRW report has drawn attention to the lethal deterioration of the human rights situation in Peru and urged the government to take steps to ensure that human rights are respected during the protests.