Peru Declares Month-Long State of Emergency Amid Protests over Ouster of Pedro Castillo

Newly installed Peruvian President Dina Boluarte declared a nationwide state of emergency amid mounting unrest following last week’s ouster and imprisonment of then-President Pedro Castillo, in what his supporters say was a legislative coup. Protests have spread since his arrest, with at least six people killed in the southern Andes region. Boluarte’s government sent troops to Peru’s second-largest city Arequipa Wednesday. Castillo supporters rallied in front of his jail in the capital Lima yesterday.

Alcina Romero: “Today marks the seventh day of his preliminary detention. He should have been released at 1:30 p.m., but yesterday at midnight the prosecutor asked for 18 months of preliminary detention. Right now the president has no lawyers. We need international help, please.”

The leaders of Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Bolivia have voiced support for Castillo, calling him a “victim of anti-democratic harassment” in a joint statement.