"If Spain has closed its doors to us, we will touch others." Vicente Romero, Peruvian Minister of the Interior, responded on Friday to the "respectable" decision of the Government of Madrid, which has chosen to stop selling riot gear to Peru after the police repression that has cost the lives of more than 45 people.
"We live in a country with the rule of law, we live in a democracy and there is independence of powers. We must be respectful until the Public Ministry reaches the results of its investigations. We cannot presume, we have to wait. Now there are no results, they are speculation" Romero defended himself. The Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating President Dina Boluarte herself for genocide, began a race against time weeks ago to clarify the causes of each violent death in the crisis caused by the failed self-coup of Pedro Castillo, imprisoned today in the same Lima prison as the dictator Alberto Fujimori.
"We, in order to develop our towns, do not need nor will we need more ammunition or tear gas. We need more works to generate well-being for our sisters and brothers," Boluarte corrected, in part, his minister during the dialogue table for peace and governance.
The two and a half months that have elapsed since Castillo's proclamation and the deployment of police and military forces have managed to subside the clashes in the country's streets, despite the fact that a state of tension remains in the southern Andes. All the polls confirm that more than 70% of the country wants early elections for this year, but partisan and personal interests in Congress have prevented it for now. A Parliament that, from scandal to scandal, approaches a historical level of unpopularity, around 90%.
According to the latest Ipsos survey, the country's disapproval of Boluarte reaches 64% of those surveyed.
Amnesty International (AI) took the initiative weeks ago and pressured the Spanish government to stop supplying tear gas canisters, helmets and shields to the Peruvian Police. Most of the violent deaths, according to journalistic investigations and human rights organizations, occurred from shots from firearms and pellets in scenes close to the violent takeovers of different airports in the southern Andes.
Despite the success of its campaign, AI is also demanding that the sale of ammunition and lethal weapons be suspended and that the use of Spanish ammunition be investigated. "End the secrecy of these decisions," pondered the organization.
AI revealed that Spain was the main European supplier of arms to Peru, with sales valued at 184 million euros in five years. 20% would be riot material.
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