By Marcelo Rochabrun
LIMA (Reuters) – Peru’s prime minister said on Tuesday that a mandatory lockdown in Lima aimed to curb violent protests over surging fuel and fertilizer prices could also be put in place in the interior of the country if unrest does not stop.
“We are considering it,” Prime Minister Anibal Torres said in an interview with state-owned outlet TV Peru. “If this situation persists, (the lockdown) can be extended to the rest of the country, but I think people will understand and will not accept vandalistic acts.”
Minutes before midnight on Monday, Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announced a surprise lockdown for the next day in Lima, forcing residents to stay at home between 2 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. Lima houses about a third of Peru’s 30 million people.
Protests throughout Peru are continuing onto their second week against the spike in prices of fuel and fertilizer as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At least four people have died in violent clashes with police, the government has said.
The crisis makes for a particularly vulnerable moment for Castillo’s presidency, who rose to power last year with overwhelming support from Peru’s rural population – the same group of people that is now staging the most significant protests so far in his administration.
Castillo’s popularity has waned quickly and now hovers at around 25%. He has survived two impeachment attempts and cycled through an unprecedented number of Cabinet members in his eight-month administration.
Peru’s ombudsman’s office said it had filed an emergency motion to stop the mandatory lockdown, although the request has yet to be addressed by a judge.
Juan Pappier, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch said on Twitter the restriction of free movement is “disproportionate” and contravenes international treaties that Peru has endorsed.
The president of Congress, Maria del Carmen Alva, called on Peruvians late on Monday to disobey the lockdown mandate. The opposition-led Congress is set to meet with Castillo at 3 p.m. local time.
(Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Alistair Bell)
