Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lima (Agenzia Fides) - Given the serious situation of pain and violence suffered by the Peruvian people due to the current political crisis, the Episcopal Conference invites "all the faithful and people of good will to express peace, hope and fraternity in Peru, through a Day of Prayer for Peace, next Sunday, December 18. This initiative will be carried out in all the dioceses of the country, organized by each bishop in his ecclesiastical jurisdiction". The initiative of the Bishops, communicated a few hours ago, proposes that the families that participate in the Day display a symbol of peace (white flag or white handkerchief) in their homes and institutions, from now on.
According to information
gathered by Fides, the total number of deaths in the clashes between supporters of former President Castillo and the Peruvian security forces has risen to 17. Sources from the Ministry of Health reported that only at the Alfredo Mendivil Duarte airport in Ayacucho 7 people died and another 52 were injured in the clashes. The other airports have been closed. Since the dismissal and subsequent arrest of Castillo, on December 7, protests have broken out throughout the country, including the capital, in which thousands of people have called for the resignation of the new president, Dina Boluarte, for the closure of Parliament and the convening of a Constituent Assembly. Given the seriousness of the situation, on December 14 the government declared a state of emergency throughout the country for 30 days, with restrictions on civil rights.
For his part, former President Castillo was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Supreme Court, while the investigation of the charges against him continues. Castillo, who proclaims his innocence, has requested the intervention of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Organization of American States (OAS).
The Peruvian Bishops from the outset urged the institutions "to protect and safeguard democracy, guaranteeing, preserving and restoring public and constitutional order", launching an appeal, in this difficult moment, "to maintain national unity, calm and put an end to any form of violence and violation of the fundamental rights of citizens" (see Fides, 9/12/2022). In a subsequent message, the Bishops reiterated: "We need a sincere dialogue that calms souls to protect our weak democracy, preserve the institutional nature and maintain the fraternity of our people" (see Fides, 13/12/2022).
Since taking office, President Dina Boluarte has called all political forces for a truce and dialogue, and all Peruvians for unity, to face the difficult situation. For this reason, she has asked Parliament to advance the general elections by two years, so that they can be held in April 2024, or even at the end of 2023.
On June 6, 2021, Pedro Castillo had won the second round of the presidential elections by beating his opponent, Keiko Fujimori, by some 44,000 votes, obtaining 50.12% of the valid votes. Fujimori had denounced an alleged fraud after the elections, asking that the elections be repeated. The competent bodies ruled out fraud and rejected the request to repeat the elections. Castillo had started his term on July 28, 2021. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 16/12/2022)
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