Lima: Peruvian President Dina Boluarte confronted seething public resentment during her visit to Ayacucho, a city scarred by the tragic events of anti-government protests in late 2022. Engaged in a road-laying ceremony, Boluarte found herself at the center of an emotional confrontation with Ruth Barcena, a resident who boldly approached and shook the president. Barcena, mourning her husband’s fatal shooting during the protests, passionately voiced her grief, refusing to be silenced.
The tension unfolded in widely circulated videos on social media, depicting residents pushing against security officials, their collective chant echoing, “Dina is a murderer!” The deep-seated anger stems from the aftermath of former President Pedro Castillo’s ousting and arrest in 2022. Boluarte, then vice president, assumed the presidency, but public demands for her resignation and calls for fresh elections persisted.
Human Rights Watch, citing concerns of extra-judicial killings, reported a minimum of 50 deaths in the government’s crackdown on protestors. Boluarte now faces grave allegations, including “genocide, qualified homicide, and serious injuries,” which she vehemently denies.
Reacting to the public outcry, Prime Minister Jorge Otarola condemned the protest as a “lamentable” act on X, underscoring the potential threat to the head of state’s integrity. He emphasized the collective loss incurred by the country through such acts of violence. In a subsequent press conference, Interior Minister Víctor Torres assured the identification and pursuit of those responsible for the aggression. Additionally, all of the President’s bodyguards are relieved of duty and subjected to disciplinary measures.
