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Photos: Judge to rule on Castillo’s detention amid Peru protests

Demonstrations held in support of the ousted president across the country as his successor, Dina Boluarte, pleads for calm.

vendor lifts a baby carrier
A "chicha" saleswoman lifts a baby carrier holding a bucket of the fermented beverage over a barricade blocking the Pan-American Highway. The barricade was built during protests by supporters of ousted Peruvian President Pedro Castillo in Viru, Peru, on December 15, 2022. [Hugo Curotto/AP]
Published On 15 Dec 202215 Dec 2022
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A judge in Peru is scheduled to decide whether ousted President Pedro Castillo will remain in custody while authorities build a rebellion case against him.

A ruling on Thursday to keep Castillo in detention for up to 18 months would likely ignite further protests. It is to be handed down a day after the government declared a police state as it struggles to calm nationwide protests stemming from Castillo’s ouster by Congress last week.

A virtual hearing took place even though Castillo refused to be served with a notification.

Protesters are demanding Castillo’s release, the resignation of President Dina Boluarte and the immediate scheduling of general elections to pick a new president and replace all members of Congress.

In a renewed effort to placate demonstrators, Boluarte on Wednesday said general elections could potentially be scheduled for December 2023, four months earlier than what she had proposed to Congress on Monday.

Castillo was taken into custody after he was ousted by lawmakers when he sought to dissolve Congress ahead of a third impeachment vote.

At least eight people have died since the demonstrations began on December 7, shortly after Castillo was removed from office. All deaths happened in rural, impoverished communities outside Lima, strongholds for Castillo.

Despite a declaration allowing the armed forces to help maintain public order, no soldiers were on the streets on Thursday in Andahuaylas, where at least four people have died since the demonstrations began.

The state of emergency suspends the freedoms of assembly and movement and empowers the police, supported by the military, to search people’s homes without permission or judicial order.

On Wednesday, Boluarte pleaded for calm as demonstrations continued against her and Congress.

“Peru cannot overflow with blood,” she said.

In the past week, protesters have set fire to police stations, taken over an airstrip used by the armed forces and invaded the runway of the international airport in Arequipa, Peru’s second largest city and a gateway to some of its tourist attractions.

The passenger train that carries visitors to Machu Picchu suspended service, and roadblocks on the Pan-American Highway have stranded trailer trucks for days, spoiling food bound for Lima.

Supporters of ousted Peruvian President
Castillo supporters move cement barricades to block the Pan-American Highway in Viru. [Hugo Curotto/AP]
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People walk along the Pan-American North Highway
Protesters demanding Castillo's release and early elections have blocked the Pan-American Highway, halting trucks carrying food and other goods. [Hugo Curotto/AP]
Soldiers guard the streets in the center of Arequipa, Peru
Soldiers guard the streets in the centre of Arequipa, Peru's second largest city, after President Dina Boluarte decreed a national state of emergency for 30 days. [Jose Sotomayor/EPA-EFE]
Police walk by a charred moto-taxi frame
A three-wheeled moto-taxi was burned during protests on the Pan-American Highway in Viru in northern Peru. [Hugo Curotto/AP]
Police arrive where supporters of ousted Peruvian President
Police confront Peruvians protesting against Castillo's ouster in Arequipa. [Fredy Salcedo/AP]
Police clear the Pan-American North highway
Police work to clear the Pan-American Highway after protesters erected barricades. [Hugo Curotto/AP]
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Bus passengers who have been stuck for two days continue to wait
Bus passengers have been stuck on the Pan-American Highway for two days as protesters block highways. [Hugo Curotto/AP]
Truckers are backed up on the Pan-American North highway
The protests by Castillo supporters have backed up trucks on the Pan-American Highway. [Hugo Curotto/AP]
Supporters of ousted Peruvian President Pedro Castillo block a highway
A highway in Arequipa is blocked during protests that have killed at least eight people in Peru since they began on December 7. [Fredy Salcedo/AP]
Supporters of Peruvian former President Pedro Castillo
Castillo supporters march along the Carretera Central highway to Congress in Lima. Lawmakers ousted the president last week after he sought to dissolve Congress ahead of its third attempt to impeach him. [Martin Bernetti/AFP]
Supporters of ousted Peruvian President Pedro Castillo
Smoke rises from a roadblock as part of protests along the Pan-American Highway. [Hugo Curotto/AP]


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