At least 13 dead in anti-government protests near Peru airport

At least thirteen people died following clashes near Juliaca airport in southern Peru, the ombudsman's office said on Monday, after the resumption of protests demanding early elections and the release of jailed former President Pedro Castillo.

El aeropuerto de Juliaca tomado, Puno esta simplemente ardiendo, la culpa de esto es de Pedro Castillo, Anibal Torres y Betssy Chavez nunca se olviden #TerrorismoNuncaMas <#IzquierdaMiserableYTerrorista pic.twitter.com/H1K9GIqMes

— Politólogo de Miercoles (@PoliticoDeMier) January 9, 2023

¡Antentos... No es Rusia bombardeando Ucrania, por tanto es casi seguro que no lo veras en los medios... es el gobierno de facto en Perú bombardeando con gases a los manifestantes en Juliaca, Puno! pic.twitter.com/osHzLOxLUn

— DΛViD.cu (@Dvd_qva) January 9, 2023

The latest casualties take the death toll from anti-government clashes with security forces to more than 30 since the protests began in early December following the removal and arrest of Castillo shortly after he tried to illegally dissolve Congress.

He is serving 18 months of pre-trial detention on charges of rebellion, which he denies.

"We ask the forces of law and order to make a legal, necessary and proportional use of force and we urge the state prosecutor's office to carry out a prompt investigation to clarify the facts," the ombudsman's office wrote on Twitter.

Protests resumed last week after a holiday lull. Apart from early elections and the release of Castillo, the protesters are calling for the resignation of new President Dina Boluarte, closure of Congress and changes to the constitution.

Juliaca, located in the Puno region on the border with Bolivia, has been a hotbed of anti-government protests. An open ended strike was declared there on January 4.

(Reuters)