The report of the aforementioned body specifies that prisoners, among whom there is a minor, are investigated for alleged crimes against public administration, riots, violence, resistance to authority and hindering the operation of public services.
It adds that prosecutors are conducting eight investigations to determine those responsible for the 42 deaths (41 civilians and one police officer), to which another six are added due to accidents related to protest actions.
There are also 17 fiscal folders on cases of dead or injured citizens and 80 in which detained civilians are being investigated, in addition to another three for attacks on Public Ministry premises.
Among these cases, 11 preliminary investigations are underway against those considered responsible for what prosecutors call acts of violence, registered in the regions of Puno, Cusco, Arequipa, Apurímac, Ucayali and Lima.
Added to the loss of life in the Public Ministry report there is a total of 531 injured, which includes 355 civilians and 176 police officers.
The report does not specify whether detainees include the president of the Defense Front of the southern region of Ayacucho, Rocío Leandro, and six other leaders of the organization that is heading the protests in that territory, arrested last night.
Prosecutor Jorge Chávez affirmed that the aforementioned leaders were detained by order of a judge, as a result of an investigation initiated by the anti-terrorist police in July 2021 and will remain in preliminary detention for 15 days.
The head of the Anti-Terrorist Police Directorate, General Óscar Arriola, accused Leandro of being the third command in Ayacucho of the armed group Sendero Luminoso -which laid down its arms three decades ago, although a fraction continues to operate in a jungle territory- and argued that she served a prison sentence years ago for participating in attacks.
He maintained that the investigation discovered coordination of the detainees with their peers from Cusco and Puno and that, therefore, it is confirmed that Sendero Luminoso participates in the protests, as indicated by a media and political campaign to discredit social struggles, according to opponents.
Left-wing congressman Alex Flores condemned the arrests as the beginning of the criminalization of social protest and the Ayacucho Defense Front marched through the streets of the regional capital of the same name demanding the freedom of prisoners.
“Arbitrary arrests and political persecution of popular leaders who exercise the legitimate right to social protest have begun”, he asserted.
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