Peru declares a 30-day state of emergency after protests that left at least eight people dead world News

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A 30-day state of emergency was declared in Peru after the country’s president went on trial and a week of protests left at least eight people dead.

It gives police the power to search homes without warrant and limits some freedoms, including the right to assembly.

Demonstrations have continued since former President Pedro Castillo was ousted in an impeachment vote on December 7.

Castillo, a leftist who was elected in 2021, was arrested after being accused of illegally trying to dissolve Peru’s Congress in the country’s latest political scandal in recent years.

Prosecutors said on Wednesday they are seeking 18 months in pretrial detention for Mr. Castillo, who is accused of insubordination and conspiracy.

Peru’s Supreme Court met to consider the request but suspended the hearing until Thursday.

Castillo’s former vice president, Dina Boulwart, was sworn in, but the move divided other Latin American leaders, and the unrest angered many Peruvians.

Photo: Security forces fire tear gas during a clash with protesters near Cuzco airport Photo: Police in Cuzco

Authorities said eight people, most of them teenagers, died in clashes with police – and rights groups have claimed at least six people were killed in shootings.

Protesters blocked highways, set buildings on fire, and invaded airports.

“We agreed to declare a state of emergency throughout the country due to acts of vandalism and violence,” said Defense Minister Alberto Otarola.

This requires a strong response from the government.”

We don’t want to go back to that painful history.

President Bulwart called for “peace” and proposed elections to be held a year from now – four months earlier than her previous proposal of April 2024.

The vote was originally scheduled for 2026, when Castillo’s term would have expired.

Image: People protest in Cuzco Image: Pedro Castillo was arrested last week. Pic: Peruvian National Police

“The only thing I can tell you sisters and brothers (is) to stay calm,” Boulwart said.

“We already had that experience in the ’80s and ’90s, and I think we don’t want to go back to that painful history.”

Her remarks recalled the years when the Communist Party insurgency led to numerous car bombings and assassinations.

The group has been blamed for more than half of the nearly 70,000 deaths and disappearances caused by various insurgent groups and the government’s brutal counterinsurgency response.

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