The government of Peruvian President Pedro Castillo decreed a curfew this Tuesday (5) in Lima and the city of Callao, after a strike by drivers caused roadblocks and disturbances the day before.
The measure, which requires the 10 million inhabitants of Lima and Callao to remain in their homes throughout the day, has drawn criticism from analysts as being considered disproportionate and authoritarian.
“In the face of the acts of violence that some groups have tried to create […] and to restore peace and internal order […]the Council of Ministers approved declaring citizen immobility [toque de recolher] from 2:00 am to 11:59 pm on April 5th to protect citizen security,” leftist Castillo said in a message to the country shown on television around midnight on Monday.
Several acts of violence, including fires at toll booths on the roads, looting in some stores and clashes between protesters and police were recorded that day in various parts of the country, in the first strike faced by the Castillo government, which took power eight months ago.
The protests, motivated by the increase in fuel and food prices, took place in Lima and in the regions of Piura, Chiclayo, La Libertad, Junín, Ica, Arequipa, San Martín, Amazonas and Ucayali, among others. Classes have been suspended due to restrictions on public transport.
“I make an appeal for calm, serenity. Social protest is a constitutional right, but it must happen within the law,” said Castillo.
Castillo announced the curfew a week after avoiding a removal process by Congress, where opponents accuse him of “lack of direction” in the government and of allowing corruption in his surroundings.
The measure comes into force at a time when the Peruvian economy is trying to overcome the damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and coincides with the 30th anniversary of the self-coup d’état by ex-president Alberto Fujimori, currently in prison, on April 5, 1992.
The restriction of movement under the protection of the state of emergency received expressions of repudiation.
“The curfew to restore order is an authoritarian measure by the Pedro Castillo government that demonstrates ineptitude, an inability to govern. It’s like putting an end to traffic accidents by banning the circulation of vehicles,” political analyst Luis Benavente told AFP.
“The measure determined by President Pedro Castillo is openly unconstitutional, disproportionate and violates people’s right to individual freedom,” tweeted lawyer Carlos Rivera, one of the defenders of victims of the Fujimori government.
Journalist Rosa María Palacios also said: “Towards midnight there is no way to inform and be informed. Such a radical measure that violates all rights and is disproportionate, only reveals that the government has lost all control over public order.”
The Union of Multimodal Transport Unions of Peru criticizes the rise in fuel prices and tolls. The strike by its affiliates was supposed to continue until this Tuesday.
In an attempt to defuse criticism, the government over the weekend eliminated the fuel tax.
Castillo also decreed a 10% increase in the minimum wage, which will rise to 1,025 ‘soles’ (US$277) from 1 May.
The General Confederation of Workers of Peru (CGTP), the country’s main trade union center, rejected the percentage increase, considered insufficient, and called for protests for Thursday.
Castillo has a disapproval rate of 66%, according to an Ipsos poll.
