Conflicts & War

Peru applies state of emergency in four new regions over protests

Lima, Feb 5 (EFE).- Peru’s government on Sunday declared a state of emergency in four southern regions and extended the existing measure in three others in a bid to get a handle on protests in which 69 people have been killed.

A state of emergency was enforced in Madre de Dios, Apurímac, Arequipa and Moquegua for a period of 60 days and prolonged in Cusco, Puno and Tacna, according to a decree published in the official El Peruano newspaper.

Protesters calling on president Dina Boluarte to resign, for parliament to be dissolved and for elections to be brought forward have come out in their strongest in the Andean nation’s south.

The government in January had declared the measure for 30 days in Lima, the capital, Callao, Amazonas and Libertad. A total of 11 regions are under a state of emergency.

The decree comes after the country’s national journalist association (ANP) said a reporter and photojournalist had been targeted by police Saturday while covering an anti-government protest in Lima.

The ANP says that 153 journalists have been targeted by police harassment or violence since the demonstrations broke out in December following the ousting of left-wing president Pedro Castillo, who had tried to extend his grip on power in a self-coup. EFE

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