The president of Peru targeted by a complaint for alleged homicide of demonstrators

Ernesto Benavides archives Agence France-Presse Police officers in riot gear proceed to the arrest of a protester in Lima, January 24, 2023.

Peru's attorney general filed a complaint for alleged homicide Monday before Congress against the country's president, Dina Boluarte, for her role in the repression of demonstrations that left more than 50 dead.

« I inform you that I have filed a constitutional complaint before the Congress of the Republic against Dina Boluarte, President of the Republic, and Luis Alberto Otárola”, the Prime Minister, declared Attorney General Patricia Benavides in a televised address.

Dina Boluarte became president of Peru in December 2022 after the impeachment and arrest of left-wing head of state Pedro Castillo, of whom she was vice-president.

The repression of the massive pro-Castillo demonstrations that followed left more than 50 dead, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

“The death of a Peruvian man or woman must not be allowed, nor any abuse of power,” added Ms. Benavides, who also denounced the fact that her colleagues seek to smear its integrity.

The accusation, which could lead to the dismissal of the president, comes at a time when the prosecutor is facing serious questions about her management of the public prosecutor's office by senior magistrates calling for her resignation.

The complaint against Ms. Boluarte was filed as Ms. Benavides is accused by a prosecutor of leading an alleged criminal network entrenched at the top of the prosecution, from where she allegedly exercised influence peddling with Congress and exchanged political favors.

In this context, Ms. Benavides declared that she would not resign from her position.

In her first public reaction, the Peruvian president called the complaint a “political maneuver” that “aims to divert attention from a very serious complaint against the prosecutor” herself.

In January, Peruvian prosecutors opened an investigation for “genocide, homicide and serious injury” against Boluarte for her role in suppressing protests, but the president enjoys immunity until the end of her term. term in 2026.

In September, Ms. Boluarte appeared before prosecutors for the third time. A parliamentary process, which could take up to three months, will be necessary before Congress can rule on the complaint against the president.

The repression of anti-government protests began on December 7 when Ms. Boluarte had just assumed the presidency, and continued until March. Pedro Castillo is in pre-trial detention in Lima.