Peru

Protesters demand the release of ousted president Pedro Castillo, the resignation of his successor Dina Boluarte, and pedrofresh elections.

Human rights groups said 147 people have been detained. "A state of emergency does not remove the protection of the right to life," she added. Around 200 mostly American and European tourists have left the town on foot along the train tracks in a bid to reach the town of Ollantaytambo, 30 kilometers away, from where they would be able to take a train to Cusco. "There are 5,000 tourists stranded in the city of Cusco, they are in their hotels waiting for flights to restart," Darwin Baca, mayor of the nearby town of Machu Picchu, told AFP. Several airports around the country have been closed, including the international terminal in Cusco, which acts as the gateway city to the jewel of Peruvian tourism, the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Peru's Congress on Friday rejected a move to bring forward elections as deadly protests left thousands of tourists stranded in the gateway city to Machu Picchu.

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, who has said she is leading a transitional government, urged the country's Congress to pass a proposal to bring forward ...

Some members of Congress have called for the legislature to reconsider the proposal. She also dismissed calls for a constitutional assembly, saying it was "not the time." Since then, protests have broken out across the country, and at least 17 people have been killed.

Dina Boluarte assumed the presidency after Pedro Castillo tried to illegally dissolve Congress and was arrested.

“Today, the Peruvian people are in mourning … “We want the immediate closure of Congress; we want the resignation of Dina Boluarte,” said Rene Mendoza, a protester at the border with Bolivia. On Friday, Peru’s Congress rejected the proposed constitutional reform to move elections forward to December 2023.

Former President Pedro Castillo is in jail. That's nothing new in Peruvian politics.

Many of those he put into high-level government positions were political allies with no relevant experience; some were under investigation for serious crimes like domestic violence and murder, according to the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/07/world/americas/peru-pedro-castillo-coup.html). Castillo also went through a dizzying number of cabinet switch-ups, cycling through about [80 different ministers during his 16-month tenure](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/07/world/americas/peru-pedro-castillo-coup.html). [Fujimori](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alberto-Fujimori), too, [was democratically elected](https://apnews.com/article/politics-peru-caribbean-government-and-ee258b8b8495c9ae06a43f6d3c906a7a), but seized power in much the same way Castillo intended to — with the backing of the military he dissolved congress, declared a state of emergency, and rewrote the constitution in 1993, an amended version of which Peru still uses today. [Castillo](https://apnews.com/article/latin-america-peru-discrimination-government-and-politics-33f5b1ab4358a3a7a89014f3a817800b) was Peru’s first campesino president, the child of illiterate farmers and a former farmer, teacher, and union leader in whom many of Peru’s rural population saw themselves represented. Castillo and some of his family members are facing [six separate corruption investigations](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/perus-castillo-says-opponents-trying-blow-up-democracy-with-impeachment-trial-2022-12-06/), though he has denied wrongdoing. However, it’s likely a positive sign that Castillo had so little support to carry out his attempted power grab; “He did it alone; no one accompanied him in his most recent anti-democratic drift, not his cabinet, not the army, and not his supporters,” Rodriguez wrote. [quickly denounced Castillo](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/07/world/americas/peru-pedro-castillo-coup.html), who came to power by popular vote last year, while the nation’s highest court declared Castillo’s plan unconstitutional and much of his cabinet resigned. [right to free movement within the country and to assembly](https://www2.congreso.gob.pe/sicr/RelatAgenda/constitucion.nsf/constitucion/6FB258E38A13F1A40525672A004F862F) amid the ongoing unrest. [protested against his response to inflation just this year](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/peru-inflation-protests-grip-tourist-capital-cuzco-gateway-machu-picchu-2022-04-19/). [Rural protests](https://apnews.com/article/politics-peru-caribbean-covid-6921c3c8bcf95f654b70d8de39dfc550) have been particularly violent, as protesters demand new elections and for Boluarte to step down. There have been [multiple coups](https://www.britannica.com/place/Peru/Government-and-society) as well as a dictatorship throughout the 1990s under former President Alberto Fujimori, who is now in prison for gross human rights violations, including operating anti-communist death squads. Dina Boluarte, the South American nation’s sixth president in seven years, [is now struggling to maintain control](https://apnews.com/article/politics-peru-caribbean-pedro-castillo-f087a89f7ef0c7c64d6cdf0bc872cfc6) in a political environment where chaos and corruption are the norm.

Peru's government nears collapse as protesters angry over the president's ouster face off against police and the military.

That alliance has become a feature of Peruvian politics over the past 17 months, as the two sides found common ground in blocking anticorruption measures. But even that would likely fail to calm the unrest. Boluarte’s resignation would also preempt any attempt at political reform to ensure that the next election yields more sustainable results. The chances of de-escalation appeared to diminish Friday when lawmakers rejected Boluarte’s proposal to hold an early general election. “It justifies the use of violence against them. Some of the protests have been violent. It was also a repudiation of us.” Nahuinche said: “I think the president was under duress when he read that statement. “Castillo is our president, elected by humble, working people from the countryside. The violence prompted two ministers to resign Friday from Boluarte’s government. Protesters have stormed several regional airports, looted businesses and blocked roads, primarily in the impoverished mountain regions of the Andean nation. “The impeachment wasn’t just a repudiation of Castillo.

The violence and unrest sparked by his arrest has prompted international warnings about travel to Peru. Janelle Nicholson is among the Aussies stranded at the ...

"There were about 100 tourists in line, and we waited for two hours before we saw the doctor," Martucci said. They're safe and have food thankfully, but there's no way to get more medication." "There's nothing in the tiny town they're stuck in. "They told me I was a priority, and that they were going to try to get me on a helicopter out of Machu Picchu in the next two days." "As at 17 December 2022, 171 Australians have contacted our embassy in Lima. "We regret the inconvenience that these announcements generate for our passengers; however, they are due to situations beyond the control of our company and seek to prioritize the safety of passengers and workers," the company said in a statement. It added: "We regret the inconvenience that this situation beyond our control has caused our passengers and we reinforce our commitment to air safety and connectivity in the country." "LATAM maintains constant monitoring of the political situation in Peru to provide the pertinent information according to how it may impact our air operation," the airline said in a statement. The department's travel advice for Peru is set to "exercise a high degree of caution", while Australians are advised to "reconsider your need to travel" to Arequipa, Cusco and Puno, due to the civil unrest in the country. The only way to get in and out of the town is by train, and these services are suspended until further notice, after protesters took parts of the track. "We have asked the government to help us and establish helicopter flights in order to evacuate the tourists," Baca said. "You know we are trying to hide our money in case the protesters come and then figure out how we get from Ollantaytambo to Cusco and then from Cusco to Lima and if we have flights," fellow traveller Monique Spurr said.

More than 170 people have contacted the Australian embassy in Lima as civil unrest trapped tourists near the iconic Incan ruins.

“A nationwide State of Emergency and local curfews have been imposed due to the civil unrest and protests. “Many of those are in city of Cusco and Machu Picchu, where transport options are limited,” a statement from the department said. More than 170 Australians have contacted the embassy in Lima, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Peru has been gripped by protests and political intrigue since the ouster of its former president, Pedro Castillo, earlier this month. The Andean nation is ...

"I think these protests are out of this exacerbation people have." For now, the unrest seems likely to continue. Supporters of Castillo had been calling for his reinstatement or at least new elections. Some analysts say Peru's broader political unrest requires deeper solutions. "This should not have happened," one pro-Castillo demonstrator told CBC's The National. "He was kidnapped. "We feel the safest when we are at the hotel and we don't go very far," Canadian tourist Jennifer Korver told The National from Arequipa, a hotbed of unrest in the country's south. The United Nations and the Organization of American States have both accepted the transition as legitimate and have recognized the new government, CBC's More than 3,900 Canadians were in the country as of Friday, and many have been unable to leave. The UN, however, has expressed "deep concern" over reports of deaths during protests and the detention of minors involved in demonstrations. Canada, the European Union and the United States have backed the new government and criticized Castillo. Supporters of the former union leader say he was unjustly removed and imprisoned by the country's political establishment, arguing he should be allowed to continue governing or new elections should be held.

Hannah and Garrett Spray, from Vancouver, Canada, have been stuck in their hostel in Cusco with their daughter for the past five days.

He denies all the charges against him. "There has been a lot of protesting. Hannah and Garrett Spray, from Vancouver, Canada, have been stuck in their hostel in Cusco with their daughter for the past five days.

But the new president said she would not resign as demanded by protesters because she doesn't believe it would solve the political crisis.

[tourists remain stranded](https://www.axios.com/2022/12/16/tourists-stranded-machu-picchu-protests-peru) in Machu Picchu after Boluarte's government declared a [state of emergency](https://www.axios.com/2022/12/15/peru-state-of-emergency-deadly-protests) in response to the protests. [Dina Boluarte](https://www.axios.com/2022/12/08/dina-boluarte-peru-first-woman-president-castillo-arrested), called on the country's Congress on Saturday to approve early elections in order to halt [deadly protests](https://www.axios.com/2022/12/15/peru-state-of-emergency-deadly-protests), [BBC reports](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64009544). [predecessor Pedro Castillo](https://www.axios.com/2021/07/20/peru-pedro-castillo-president-elect) was arrested for attempting to dissolve Congress, said she would not give in to protesters' demands and resign because she doesn't believe it will solve the political crisis.

It's only a week until Christmas, and Mechelle Lutsko is holding onto hope that her daughter, one of the hundreds of tourists stranded in Peru, ...

"You can start to see the panic in some." "I love Christmas and my kids and wife," the father of two said. His plan after that would be getting transportation to the airport. "This is our chance to see and spend time with her," Lutsko said. Next week, Lutsko is expecting family to arrive from out of town for the holidays. The employees locked the doors and encouraged everyone to hunker down, Spellman told her mom.

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirms 171 Australians have so far contacted its embassy in Lima seeking assistance as tourists become stranded near ...

On Friday, Peru's Congress rejected the proposed constitutional reform to move elections forward to December 2023. "A nationwide state of emergency and local curfews have been imposed," the warning reads. - A state of emergency and curfews have been imposed in response to protests against the ousting of the country's former president

Australian tourists have described how they became trapped in various cities in Peru after local protesters blocked off roads, train tracks, ...

Peru is under a state of emergency amid protests that have so far led to the deaths of 17 Peruvians. Ms O'Beirne said Cusco airport was "chaos" and they were not letting anyone into the airport without a boarding pass, as "thousands" of tourists were trying to leave but have been unsuccessful in booking flights. "We kept receiving word of people who were trying to drive out of the town, encountering these barriers, and the protesters assaulting the vehicles, and in some cases, slashing tires or removing tires entirely from vehicles, and sending people back to the town," he told SBS News. "So really cutting off access, both in and out of the town, restricting movement of food, water supplies, and we were stuck there for four days." More than 170 Australians have contacted Australia's embassy in Lima for help, with many of those in the city of Cusco and Machu Picchu, where transport options are limited, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement to SBS News. But his group became trapped for four days in the city of Ollantaytambo after being advised to stay put because protesters were blocking off roads and setting up barriers out of the town.

"Machu Picchu was great, but we will remember longer the days of stress that followed. Unforgettable," laughs Alex Lim, a 41-year-old Canadian among 200 ...

I had to cancel a lot of plans and I have to work again next week," he said. "I feel better now," said Lim "We were kind of worried. "The problem is not the damage of a week, the problem is to regain the level of tourism that we had in 2019 and to exceed it to reach five million," Helguero said. Unforgettable," laughs Alex Lim, a 41-year-old Canadian among 200 tourists evacuated on Saturday from the Inca citadel due to unrest in Peru. "Aguas Calientes is very pretty, but after an hour you have nothing more to do! "We have calculated a loss of 200 million soles ($52 million)," in the sector due to the protests, he said.

LIMA, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Leopoldo Huaman, 60, a farmer from Chalhuanca in southern Peru, traveled for three days to reach the capital Lima and march in ...

Seen as corrupt and self-serving, the parliament has an approval rating of only 11%, according to pollster Datum. "I was chosen by the forgotten men and women of deep Peru, by the dispossessed who have been neglected for over 200 years," Castillo said in a handwritten letter from jail. But his arrest has erased some of the disappointment. "Nobody represents me now," said Huamani, who blames Congress and new president Dina Boluarte, Castillo's former vice president, for the protest deaths. Protesters have blocked highways, set buildings on fire and taken over airports in the wake of Castillo's Dec. Castillo, a former teacher and son of peasant farmers, had at least been one of their own, they said, despite his many flaws.

At least 20 people have been killed in demonstrations against the ousting of Pedro Castillo, a flashback to a past many hoped they had left behind.

[dissolve congress and rule by decree](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/07/peru-parliament-dissolved-impeachment-vote-coup-fears) in an effort to avoid impeachment over corruption allegations. “The majority of Peruvians live day-to-day. “We don’t want it to get out of hand. Two ministers resigned in protest, one of them – the education minister, Patricia Correa – wrote on “It shows that we haven’t learned anything, we keep making the same mistakes,” she lamented. Huamanga, a picturesque Andean city of cobbled streets and whitewashed plazas, was eerily silent.

Leopoldo Huaman, 60, a farmer from Chalhuanca in southern Peru, has travelled for three days to reach the...

"I was chosen by the forgotten men and women of deep Peru, by the dispossessed who have been neglected for over 200 years," Castillo said in a letter from jail. A political rookie, he had won support with pledges to reform the constitution, redistribute huge copper riches and empower marginalised indigenous groups. "We elected a humble rural teacher like us, hoping for a revolution that would bring the poor into power." The military says protesters, most in Peru's Andean south, have used homemade weapons and explosives. "Nobody represents me now," said Huaman, who blames congress and new president Dina Boluarte, Castillo's former vice president, for the protest deaths. Castillo, a former teacher and son of peasant farmers, had at least been one of their own, they said, despite his many flaws.