State of emergency looms as Peru faces deadly protests over crime, corruption

At least one person was killed and dozens of police officers injured in widespread protests overnight in Peru against President Jose Jeri, who assumed power just days ago, the state ombudsman's office said.

The government will declare a state of emergency in Lima within hours and is preparing a package of measures to tackle rising insecurity, Prime Minister Ernesto Alvarez said late on October 16 in a press conference, Reuters reports.

The protest in the night of October 15, called by young Gen Z protesters, transport workers and civil groups, was the latest in a series of demonstrations against corruption and rising crime, which led to the dramatic midnight ouster of former President Dina Boluarte.

Thousands of protesters amassed around the country, with hundreds clashing with police outside Congress in Lima. Police fired tear gas while some protesters hurled fireworks, rocks and burning objects.

"Everyone must go!" protesters chanted when they reached Congress and tried to tear down metal barriers protecting the building, leading to clashes.

A 32-year-old man, Eduardo Mauricio Ruiz, was killed during the protest and his death will be investigated, said Fernando Losada, a representative from the country's Ombudsman's office.

Peru's prosecutor's office said Ruiz died after being shot.

Later on October 16, the head of Peru's national police (PNP), Oscar Arriola told reporters that Luis Magallanes, a member of the force, had been physically assaulted and carried out the shooting. Arriola added that Magallanes was being treated in hospital and had been removed from his duties.

Jeri expressed regret over Ruiz's death in a post on X, saying the death would be "objectively" investigated. He blamed violence on "delinquents who infiltrated a peaceful demonstration to sow chaos."

"The full force of the law will be on them," he wrote.

After attending a meeting about the protests at Congress, Jeri told reporters he would ask Congress for "authority to legislate on public safety issues."

Jeri said one focus would be prison reform, but did not elaborate on what those powers would entail.

Speaking to Congress soon after, newly-appointed Interior Minister Vicente Tiburcio, said the government would push for comprehensive reform to the national police, adding that 89 police and 22 civilians had been injured during the protest and 11 people were detained.

The interior ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the police reform or Jeri's request for expanded legislative powers.

The protests were a bellwether for how Jeri's nascent presidency, which ends next July due to scheduled elections, could play out.

Jeri, 38, has promised to make crime his top priority, but has faced a number of scandals himself, including corruption allegations and a now-shelved investigation for sexual assault. Jeri has denied wrongdoing in both cases and expressed willingness to cooperate with any corruption investigation.

Boluarte faced widespread protests after she assumed power in late 2022, leading to dozens of deaths and a plunge in her popularity levels, which oscillated between 2% and 4% in the days leading up to her ouster.

Congress - which was headed by Jeri before he became president - is almost equally unpopular with a single-digit approval rating.

By Vafa Guliyeva