The Peruvian Government on Saturday declared a state of emergency in the capital Lima and several other regions due to the ongoing protests against President Dina Boluarte that have left at least 42 people dead in the country over the past five weeks, Belga News Agency reports.
The measure, in force for 30 days, authorises the army to intervene to maintain order and entails the suspension of several constitutional rights such as freedom of movement and assembly and the inviolability of the home, according to a decree published Saturday evening in the official gazette.
In addition to the capital, the departments of Cusco and Puno (south) are notably subject to the state of emergency and the port of Callao, near Lima.
Over a hundred roadblocks were halting traffic across Peru on Saturday, mainly in the south, the epicentre of the protests, and around Lima.
President Dina Boluarte. Credit: Presidencia de la República del Perú / Wikimedia Commons
However, the authorities reopened Cusco's international airport on Saturday, which is vital to Peru's tourism sector.
What is happening in Peru?
The protests erupted after the 7 December dismissal and arrest of socialist President Pedro Castillo, who was accused of attempting to stage a coup by dissolving parliament, which was preparing to remove him from power.
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Boluarte, who was Castillo's vice-president and from the same political party, succeeded him in accordance with the Constitution. But the demonstrators, who see her as a "traitor", are demanding her departure and immediate elections.
A few weeks back, after the death of 17 people, one protester told the AFP news agency: "The police are shooting at us."
"We ask Dina to resign. Accept the fact that people do not want you," the protester added. For the time being, Boluarte refuses to resign.
