20 Peruvian Soldiers Investigated for Attempted Murder of Citizens in 2022 Protests

Police repression of protesters in Peru, 2022. Photo: X/ @radio_sibanicu

June 24, 2024 Hour: 12:07 pm

Prosecutor Coronel-Molero’s list of investigated military personnel includes three generals of the Armed Forces.

On Sunday, Prosecutor Mirela Coronel-Molero opened an investigation against 20 military personnel for attempted homicide during the protests against Peruvian President Dina Boluarte that took place in December 2022 in the city of Ayacucho, where 10 citizens were killed and 20 people were injured.

Although the military personnel denied having used their weapons against civilians, over 100 witnesses, including the injured citizens, claimed that the soldiers aimed at the protesters.

Evidence shows that the implicated military personnel not only fired shots into the air but also directly aimed shots at the protesters. The high number of people seriously injured by bullet impacts “confirms that there was a pattern in the soldiers’ behavior,” said Coronel-Molero.

The Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office formalized the preliminary investigation against seven high-ranking military officers and a National Police officer as alleged direct perpetrators of attempted aggravated homicide.

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— ????pocalypsis ????pocalypseos ???????? ???????? ???? (@apocalypseos) December 17, 2022

The accusation indicates that the personnel who fired intended to kill the citizens protesting in the city of Ayacucho against the ousting of then-President Pedro Castillo.

Coronel-Molero included three generals of the Armed Forces in the list of investigated military personnel, identifying them as “the links in the chain of command during the actions against the protest in Ayacucho.” The Peruvian generals under investigation are Manuel Gomez de La Torre, Miguel Gonzales, and Jesus Vera.

The Prosecutors’ list also includes patrol leaders and subordinates present in the area where the repression occurred as direct perpetrators of attempted murder.

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