The measure, which authorizes the government to mobilize soldiers on the streets and suspend rights such as freedom of assembly and the inviolability of home, is expected to impact at least 10 million people
The interim government of declared a state of emergency on Tuesday (21) in the capital and the neighboring port city of Callao to face the wave of and extortion attributed to the . The measure, with which the government will be able to mobilize the military on the streets and restrict rights such as freedom of assembly and the inviolability of home, affects at least 10 million people. “The state of emergency approved by the council of ministers comes into force at midnight [de quarta-feira, 2h00 em Brasília] and for 30 days in the metropolitan region of Lima and Callao,” said President José Jerí in a brief message to the nation broadcast on state television.
Under the state of emergency, the government can deploy the armed forces to openly patrol city streets and collaborate with the police in maintaining order. One of the state of emergency measures prohibits two people from using the same motorcycle, a modality used by organized crime. The Peruvian capital was already partially under a state of emergency between March and July, following the murder of a popular cumbia singer by hired killers.
“Offensive”
“Compatriots, delinquency has grown disproportionately in recent years, causing enormous pain to thousands of families and also harming the country’s progress,” said Jerí in his message lasting less than three minutes. “But that’s over. Today, we begin to change history in the fight against insecurity in Peru,” added Jerí. The measure is the first major action adopted by the government in its almost two weeks in power, in a country that has public security as one of its main concerns.
“We have gone from defensive to offensive in the fight against crime, a fight that will allow us to regain peace, tranquility and confidence for millions of Peruvians”, said the president, surrounded by his ministers. The authorities had announced on October 16 that a state of emergency would be implemented in Lima in the face of organized crime violence, which led to massive protests with one person killed by a police officer and more than 100 injured among security forces and civilians.
On October 15, demonstrations led by young people led to strong clashes near the Congress headquarters. Thousands of people protested that day against insecurity, Congress and the recently installed government of Jerí. Problems in the area of public security led to the impeachment of the then president, Dina Boluarte, in Congress on October 10th.
Since 2024, Peru has experienced an increase in urban violence with a wave of extortion that has placed insecurity as the population’s main concern, according to research. Reports of extortion rose from 2,396 in 2023 to more than 17,000. Lima leads the statistics, according to official data. Between January and September, the country registered 20,705 reports of extortion, an increase of 28.8% compared to the same period in 2024, in which 16,075 were registered, according to police.
*With information from AFP
