The defender of the families of victims of the police and military operations against the demonstrations that began in December 2022, made the statement, noting that this aspect of the president’s investigations is not affected if the investigations show genocide, the Prosecutor’s Office on the charge are annulled.

The investigation file was requested by Boluarte’s lawyer, Joseph Campos, who alleges that the case does not qualify as genocide and there is no evidence her defendant gave orders that led to the deaths.

Rivera explained there is evidence of deaths that qualify as judicial executions in the southern regions of Apurímac, Ayacucho, Junín and especially in Puno, a stronghold of the protests, in addition to the case in Lima of a protester killed by a tear gas canister fired at short distance by a police officer.

He said the evidence is based on testimonies, forensic evidence, medical examinations and ballistic tests, says Carlos Rivera, lawyer for the victims.

The evidence shows that the uniformed officers killed protesters with shots from a distance, that is, without the protesters being a threat.

“The ballistic tests, the medical examinations, the necropsy protocols are the most compelling and there are also videos,” said the lawyer who participated as a civil party in the trial of former president Alberto Fujimori, convicted of crimes against humanity and corruption.

“The deaths did not occur in confrontations, but rather due to an arbitrary and intentional decision to harm,” he asserted, noting that international human rights organizations affirm, after inquiries in Peru, there were extrajudicial executions.

Boluarte and several of the ministers she had during the violent events are being investigated for qualified homicide and serious injuries.

Rivera asserted that after the deaths, the president defended the police action alleging that the protests were managed by terrorists and awarded salary bonuses to the police officers who participated in the repression.

The newspaper La República noted that the president alleged before the prosecutor that she was not informed of the military and police plans and operations, but the head of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, General Manuel Gómez de la Torre, declared that he constantly informed him about it.

During the protests, 49 civilians died from firearms in riots, to which a young protester recently joined, in Cusco, due to injuries caused by a discharge of police pellets.

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