Peru's Boluarte could be criminally responsible for protest deaths, Amnesty says

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Peru's president, Dina Boluarte, could be criminally responsible and topped the chain of command that led to dozens of deaths during protests at the beginning of her presidency, Amnesty International claims in a report released on Thursday.

Boluarte is currently being investigated for alleged crimes of "genocide, qualified homicide and serious injuries" by Peru's prosecutor's office for protest deaths following the impeachment and arrest of her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, in late 2022.

Boluarte has repeatedly rejected accusations of abuse at protest and denied under oath that she had direct contact with police and military commanders during the protests.

Amnesty's new report, "Who Called the Shots?", claims that Boluarte "not only maintained constant communication" with police and military commanders during the protests, but "decided to promote officials who had played key roles during these operations."

Amnesty said it obtained evidence through freedom of information requests and internal police plans that gave "vague and wide-ranging orders such as 'removing human obstacles.'"

It also cites the case of Alberto Otarola, Peru's former defense minister, who Boluarte promoted to prime minister days after several protesters were killed. The report details Otarola's role during the protests and encounters with Boluarte during that timeframe.

"Peru cannot allow these serious violations to go unpunished. Many of the victims come from indigenous and peasant communities, whose voices have historically been ignored," said Marina Navarro, executive director of Amnesty International in Peru.

Peru's presidential office did not respond to a request for comment. Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen denied the allegations and accused Amnesty of having a political bias.

"We deny this in principle and of course more so when it improperly and inconsistently tries to attribute responsibility to the president for the regretful actions that happened," Adrianzen told reporters.

Amnesty's previous reports regarding the protests claim there was an "excessive use" of lethal weapons and a "racial bias" due to the high number of indigenous victims.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Alexander Villegas; Editing by Leslie Adler)