Peru declares state of emergency as ousted leader remains in prison

Peru declared a nationwide state of emergency Wednesday over violent protests against the ouster and arrest of expresident Pedro Castillo that have left seven people deadCastillos supporters have taken to the streets and set up roadblocks countrywide in protests that have also left 200 injured as they demand his release and the holding of early electionsThe country plunged into crisis last week when Castillo tried to dissolve Congress and rule by decree but was quickly impeached by lawmakers and arrested on his way to seek refuge in the Mexican embassyThe new President Dina Boluarte has struggled to quell tensions and has now called for the next election normally due in 2026 to be brought forward to December 2023 after an earlier bid to hold them in 2024 failed to halt the protestsDefense Minister Alberto Otarola announced the new 30day state of emergency due to acts of vandalism and violence and roadblocks and said police and the armed forces would have control of the whole territoryAlso read Perursquos new leader offers early election as seven die in protestsHe said the measure involved the suspension of the freedom of movement and assembly and could also include a nighttime curfewHumiliation and mistreatmentLast week a judge ordered Castillo to be held in jail for seven days and he was meant to be released on WednesdayHowever prosecutors filed a request late on Tuesday to hold him in pretrial detention for 18 monthsJudge Juan Checkley on Wednesday postponed a hearing on the new request until Thursday after defense attorneys argued they had not received all documents from the public prosecutorHowever he also ordered Castillo to remain in detention for another 48 hoursEnough The outrage humiliation and mistreatment continue wrote Castillo on Twitter adding that he would petition the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights to intercedeCastillo a leftist former school teacher was in power for only 17 months in the South American nation that is prone to political instability and is now on its sixth president in six yearsHis short period in office was marked by a power struggle with the oppositiondominated Congress and six investigations into him and his family mainly for corruptionOn Tuesday Castillo called his arrest unjust and arbitrary and said he would never give up and abandon this popular cause that brought me hereHe also called on security forces to lay down their arms and stop killing these people thirsty for justiceSerious social convulsionProtesters have set up roadblocks in numerous regionsThe worsthit areas are in the north and south including the region of Cusco a tourism lure that is home to the Machu Picchu Inca citadel and Perus second city ArequipaIn Lima dozens of demonstrators threw stones at the police on Tuesday evening as they tried to reach Congress with the police firing tear gas to disperse themFive people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces on Monday following another two on SundaySix of the seven deaths have been in the Apurimac region where Boluarte was bornRights ombudsman Eliana Revollar told AFP on Tuesday that things could still get worseThis is a very serious social convulsion We fear that it will lead to an uprising because there are people calling for an insurrection who are asking to take up arms said RevollarIndigenous and agrarian organizations called an indefinite strike to begin on Tuesday forcing the train service between the city of Cusco and Machu Picchu to be suspendedIt left many tourists stranded at the tourist site according to Machu Picchu mayor Darwin Baca who asked for help evacuating themI was meant to leave Cuzco yesterday Tuesday by train and take a flight to Lima to go home but now the situation is not clear a Belgian tourist who gave his name only as Walter told AFPThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever