In defense of the right to popular protest in Peru
On Wednesday, December 7, 2022, President Pedro Castillo was arrested, imprisoned, and removed from office on charges of rebellion for attempting to dissolve Congress. This was the third time that far-right forces in Congress had tried to impeach him since he assumed the presidency of Peru on July 28, 2021. The attempt to dissolve Congress resulted in a majority vote for his removal, and First Vice President Dina Boluarte assumed the presidency. After a week in detention, and in violation of due process, Castillo was sentenced to 18 months of pretrial detention.
Since Castillo's arrest and removal from office, numerous massive protests have taken place in various regions of the country, including the capital. The protesters have declared themselves in a state of civil insurrection, occupying various critical infrastructures, such as mines, airports, public transportation companies, universities, media outlets, and highways, among others. The population and grassroots organizations are demanding—among other things—Boluarte's removal from office, the dissolution of Congress, and a Constituent Assembly to draft a new Constitution to replace the current one, established in 1993 by the dictatorial regime of Alberto Fujimori.
The state has responded to the protests with massive and brutal repression. So far, there are approximately 20 dead – including two minors – and hundreds injured. On December 14, the Boluarte government declared a 30-day state of emergency, which entails the suspension of civil rights and constitutional guarantees, such as the right to peaceful assembly in public, the inviolability of the home, freedom of movement and personal security, and the right to be held without just cause.
Similarly, the government and the police, in unison with far-right forces and the mainstream media, have resorted to the strategy of "terrorist slander" (or defamation) to delegitimize the protests. This consists of claiming that the demonstrators are being incited by "terrorist" groups, information that is completely false and aims to violate the people's right to protest.
Just like CLACSO Working Group on Collective Memories and Practices of ResistanceWe call for the defense of the right to civil disobedience, protest, and resistance, as well as the denunciation of all forms of state political violence. Demilitarization is an urgent task for all our Latin American countries, which implies the end of states of emergency, the full respect for civil rights, and the liberation of the population.
immediate release of political prisoners, as well as an end to impunity for police and military forces.
We defend the right of the Peruvian people to demand the creation of democratic mechanisms for carrying out profound political, economic and social reforms that will create the conditions to resolve the systemic and widespread crisis that the country is experiencing.
December 16th 2022
Social Psychology of Memory Program. University of Chile
CLACSO Working Group on Collective Memories and Practices of Resistance
This statement expresses the position of Working Group on Collective Memories and Practices of Resistance and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
