There was widespread unrest in Peru this week following the sudden impeachment of President Pedro Castillo, who sought to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government ahead of a vote to impeach him on Dec. 7.
Instead, Mr. Castillo was removed from office that day and arrested. His vice president, Dina Boluarte, took over and became the country’s sixth president in five years.
Initially, the change of government was followed by some protests in Lima and other parts of the country. But the demonstrations turned violent over the weekend and at least 20 people, many of them teenagers, have been killed since then. Hundreds of civilians and police officers were injured in the clashes. Roads and airports have been closed, leaving Peruvians and visiting foreigners stranded.
Ms Boluarte’s government declared a state of emergency across the country on Wednesday, suspending civil liberties, including the right to assembly and freedom of transit, for 30 days. Her government extended a state of emergency on Thursday, imposing curfews in 15 provinces.
While Peru has been plagued by political scandals and investigations in recent years, this week’s unrest was one of the worst in recent history.
Below, some protesters celebrated Mr Castillo’s arrest in front of the police station in Lima where he was detained last week.
Other demonstrators in Lima burned images of Mr. Castillo.
But feelings on the street began to shift. On Thursday, an encampment had formed outside a detention center where Mr Castillo was being held, and as many as 1,000 people traveled hundreds of miles to the site to demand freedom for the former president.
The protesters who camped out in support of Mr. Castillo expressed their deep anger at Congress and at the national news media, which they believe is in the interests of the wealthy.
Protests over Mr Castillo’s removal escalated so quickly, many protesters said, because regardless of his misdeeds, he represented the voice of a segment of the population that had long felt marginalized by the elite.
What began as a relatively peaceful transition of power quickly turned into widespread violence that left at least 20 dead, many of them teenagers, and led to attacks on police stations, courthouses, factories, airports and a military base.
Supporters of Mr Castillo protested in Lima last week.
Protesters in Lima demand Mr. Castillo’s release.
Mr. Castillo is a leftist from a poor farming family in the Andean highlands who had never held office before becoming president last year. Below are his supporters marching in Lima.
At least 197 civilians and more than 200 police officers have been injured in clashes, according to the country’s ombudsman.
The government of Peru declared a state of emergency for the entire country on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the ombudsman’s office counted 113 roadblocks and 56 marches across the country, the highest daily number since the protests began.