PERU: STAND WITH VICTIMS OF STATE REPRESSION

Thousands of people took to the streets in Peru between December 2022 and February 2023. Police and military unlawfully responded with bullets, teargas, rubber and metal pellets, causing the death of 49 people and leaving hundreds severely injured. Most victims came from historically marginalized communities, including Indigenous peoples and campesinos.

Victims of repression in Peru could lose their rights to truth, justice and reparation due to inaction by authorities. To date, no public official has been detained in relation to these human rights violations, including those who could have fired the weapons and those who could have ordered or allowed the repression. While some important advances have been made, the investigations carried out by the Public Prosecutor’s Office have generally been slow, incomplete and have not fully considered victims’ needs.

In Andahuaylas, Ayacucho, and Juliaca, victims of state repression are fighting for their voices to be heard. These three towns in Peru’s Andean South were the epicentre of widespread lethal attacks by security forces during protests. A year later, victims continue demanding truth, justice and reparation, and the respect of their right to protest, without facing stigmatization, and discrimination from Peruvian authorities.