Peruvian President Dina Boluarte speaking during a press conference at Government Palace in Lima on 29 December, 2022. Photo: AFP/ Cris Bouroncle
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has pledged all the necessary resources for the prosecutor's office to investigate more than two dozen deaths during protests that rocked Peru following the ousting of her predecessor Pedro Castillo.
An estimated 22 people were killed in clashes during the protests and another six died in traffic accidents related to street blockades, according to government data.
Interior Minister Victor Rojas said in a conference alongside Boluarte on Thursday he had information that the protests could reignite on 4 January.
Boluarte, who was vice president under Castillo, assumed the presidency earlier this month after Castillo was ousted and arrested for attempting to illegally dissolve Congress.
Castillo remains in pretrial detention while under investigation for rebellion and conspiracy.
Boluarte said Thursday some neighbouring countries had "wrongly interpreted" what happened to Castillo.
In the days after Castillo's ouster, the leftist governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico and Colombia issued a joint statement calling for the protection of Castillo's human rights and that those who removed Castillo should prioritize "the will of the citizens."
Another leftist bloc of Latin American countries including Cuba and Venezuela said days later it rejected "the political framework created by right-wing forces against Constitutional President Pedro Castillo."
Castillo's family received asylum in Mexico, while Mexican authorities are in talks with Peru to offer Castillo political protection as well, Mexico has said.
Peru declared Mexico's ambassador to Lima "persona non grata" and ordered him to leave the country earlier this month, for what it considered Mexico's meddling in Peru's internal affairs.
-Reuters