Amnesty International will deliver a petition with 200,000 signatures calling on the government to guarantee the right to peaceful protest

An Amnesty International delegation led by Secretary General Agnès Callamard has arrived in Peru to present the complete findings of an investigation into the repression of widespread protests that began in the context of the political crisis last December.

The organization has requested a meeting with President Dina Boluarte to discuss the findings of the report, Lethal racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of force by Peru’s security forces. During the meeting, Amnesty International will deliver a petition with 200,000 signatures calling on the government to guarantee the right to peaceful protest.

“We are here to accompany the victims of grave human rights violations in their pursuit of justice, and to create pressure to hold the Peruvian authorities accountable. We hope President Boluarte will listen to our final recommendations to address the excessive and lethal use of force and structural racism against demonstrators,” said Agnès Callamard.

We are here to accompany the victims of grave human rights violations in their pursuit of justice, and to create pressure to hold the Peruvian authorities accountable

Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International

Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Americas director, and Marina Navarro, executive director of Amnesty International Peru, who met with President Boluarte to discuss the preliminary findings of the investigation in February, are also part of the delegation. The delegates will meet with victims of grave human rights violations in different parts of the country this week before returning to Lima for meetings with government officials.

On Thursday 25 May, Amnesty International will present the findings of the report at a press conference in Lima. The report analyzes the use of force by Peruvian police and military forces in response to the protests, which resulted in serious human rights violations and crimes under international law. After conducting initial research in Lima, Ayacucho, Andahuaylas and Chincheros in January and February, the organization has since conducted further research in Juliaca, another of the regions with the highest number of protests and deaths.