Death toll hits 60 from protests in Peru

By Sinan Dogan

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Demonstrators continued Saturday to demand the resignation of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte after six weeks of violent protests that have killed 60 people.

Boluarte accused protestors of “vandalism” in a television address late Thursday after hundreds took to the streets in the nation’s capital of Lima in the so-called “Takeover of Lima” demonstration.

The president said the protesters had “no social agenda” but sought to “break the rule of law, generate chaos and disorder and seize power.”

With the death of another person in Puno, the toll has risen since Dec. 11.

Numerous individuals were hurt on both sides when security officers used tear gas in response to demonstrators throwing stones at them, according to reports,

Police raided the National University of San Marcos in Lima with a tank and detained 200 students.

It was reported that there were clashes between the police and students in the university garden, and students were hauled out by police bus after more than an hour.

The government declared a state of emergency in some regions, which authorizes the army to intervene to maintain order.

The month-long social outburst was triggered by former President Pedro Castillo’s removal from office and his subsequent arrest on accusations of insurrection when he attempted to dissolve Congress and rule by decree to avoid impeachment on allegations of corruption.

The Prosecutor’s Office will open an investigation into Boluarte for civilians who have been killed since protests began Dec. 7.