Rio De Janeiro [Brazil], January 23: Police in Peru cleared a university in Lima and arrested more than 200 people following clashes between officers and demonstrators, while officials also shut one of the country's main tourist attractions due to the unrest.
Those arrested are accused of illegally entering the campus of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, according to broadcaster RPP Noticias, citing chief prosecutor Alfonso Barrenechea on Saturday.
The report said the protesters came to the capital from the cities of Puno and Cusco in the south to join protests against interim president Dina Boluarte.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Peru called on the police to show proportionality after the operation, as dozens of people have died since the protests began in December.
The demonstrations are also affecting tourism, with the Culture Ministry shutting access to the historic Inca ruins of Machu Picchu "in view of the current social situation in our region." The move left more than 400 tourists stranded, who had to be brought to the nearby city of Cusco, Peruvian news agency AgenciaAndina reported.
The demonstrators, many from the impoverished south of the country, are demanding Boluarte resign, the dissolution of Congress and the release of imprisoned ex-president Pedro Castillo.
Castillo, a former village school teacher, wanted to pre-empt a vote of no confidence in December and dissolved Congress in order to do so. Congress then removed him from office. He was arrested on charges of an attempted coup d'etat and remains in pre-trial detention.
His supporters have repeatedly taken to the streets since the arrest. Around two dozen people have already died in clashes with the police.
Source: Qatar Tribune
