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Fresh rallies two months into Peru protests

Friday, 10 February 2023 1:13 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 10 February 2023 1:13 AM ]

Riot police block protesters after Congress approved the removal of President Pedro Castillo, in Lima, Peru, December 7, 2022. (File photo by Reuters)

Thousands of Peruvians took to the streets anew Thursday to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte as they remembered civilians who have died in weeks of anti-government protests.

Demonstrators came out in several cities to demand an end to the political crisis that has gripped the country since Boluarte's predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was arrested on December 7.

In Juliaca in the southern Puno region, protesters demanded justice for 18 civilians killed in clashes with the security forces on January 9, when a mob of about 2,000 attempted to storm the airport there.

They again made for the airport Thursday, but were repelled by police with tear gas, according to images from local media.

Hundreds, including family members and loved ones of fallen protesters, gathered elsewhere in Juliaca for a march that combined cries of grief, anti-government slogans and protest chants.

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"Spilled blood will never be forgotten," rang a message addressed to Boluarte as grieving relatives dressed in black held up photos of dead protesters.

"They took my son from me by murdering him," Faustina Huanca, a 57-year-old informal vendor, told AFP.

"Two policemen shot me at close range..." said Diego Quispe, a 34-year-old freelance worker. "I have more than 70 pellets all over my body, (the doctors) could only extract eight in the first surgery."

In Arequipa, also in the south, hundreds of people marched to the Plaza de Armas square. There were also protests in Ayacucho, Pucallpa and Puno.

Further north, in the capital Lima, dozens had started gathering for a protest in the late afternoon.

Peru has been shaken by two months of protests by supporters of Castillo, who was impeached and arrested after attempting to dissolve parliament to rule by decree. At least 47 civilians and one police officer have been killed in clashes, according to Peru's human rights ombudsman.

Protesters have blocked roads, causing shortages of key food items, gas and other basic necessities in many parts of the country. Sixty-two national roads remained blocked by Thursday, according to officials.(Source: AFP)

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