Peruvian President Pedro Castillo has lifted a mandatory lockdown imposed in the country’s capital and a nearby town, after the measure spurred widespread criticism, anger and fresh protests in the streets of Lima.
Castillo had late on Monday ordered residents to remain in their homes between 2am and 11:59pm local time in an effort “to re-establish peace and internal order” amid nationwide protests over rising fuel and food prices.
The lockdown in Lima and the neighbouring town of Callao came after protests broke out across the Andean nation amid anger over a spike in fuel and fertiliser costs.
Truckers and other transport workers have blocked major highways, and at least four people have died in clashes with police over the past week, the government has said.
On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of protesters, most of them wearing Peru’s white-and-red football jersey or flag, defied the lockdown order by trying to reach the country’s Congress, where Castillo was meeting with legislators.
The country’s prime minister had earlier in the day said the measure could be extended to other areas in the Andean nation if the unrest continued. But the measure had spurred widespread anger and criticism from opposition party politicians, human rights experts and regular citizens alike.
The curfew left major highways and street markets in Lima almost deserted throughout the day as troops joined police in the streets to administer a state of emergency that restricted various civil liberties, including the rights to freedom of movement and against arbitrary searches.
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Video originally published at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3wIKrPOfr0
The post Peru lifts Lima curfew after widespread and violent protests first appeared on Miami Observer News.