Attacks on Police Station, Military Base in Peru Leave 27 Injured

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Several hundred protesters have attacked a police station, a military base and a courthouse in southeast Peru, injuring at least 27 people, including seven civilians, the Peruvian Defense Ministry and the Ministry of the Interior said on Sunday.

Around 300 demonstrators set fire to a police station in the Chucuito District of the Puno Province at around 11:40 a.m. local time (16:40 GMT) on Saturday, the Peruvian authorities said. The rioters were also throwing stones, blunt objects and Molotov cocktails at the building. At the same time, two other groups of protesters attacked a military base in the town of Juli and a judiciary headquarters.

"Roughly 300 violent activists attacked the police station, throwing stones ... As a result of this reprehensible attack, 10 police officers received injuries and were evacuated in a military helicopter for receiving corresponding medical care. In addition, seven civilians are known to have been injured ... Simultaneously, another group of perpetrators attacked the Juli Military Base, leaving 10 other members of the army injured," the ministries said in a joint statement.

The Peruvian authorities launched an investigation into the incidents to identify those responsible for the violent riots and bring them to justice, the statement read.

In December 2022, Peru's parliament impeached former President Pedro Castillo. Then-Prime Minister Dina Boluarte took an oath as the country's new president within two hours of the impeachment vote, vowing to serve out the rest of Castillo's term, which runs until July 2026. Castillo, who had tried to dissolve the parliament before the vote, was arrested after the impeachment procedure and the Peruvian prosecutor's office launched a criminal case against him on charges of an attempted coup and crimes against the state.

The cascade of events sparked a wave of protests across the country. Demonstrators have denounced the post-impeachment government, calling for an immediate presidential election and dissolution of the country's parliament.