A new government came to power in Peru at the end of 2022 following the removal and imprisonment of president Pedro Castillo, after a failed coup d'état. In his place, the then vice-president, Dina Boluarte, took over the reins of the country.
In the interior, in cities such as Ayacucho and Juliaca, there was widespread unrest over this change. Some accused Boluarte of being a traitor, others of being an illegitimate ruler. This tense scenario resulted in violent demonstrations that were cruelly repressed by police and military forces at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023.
The result was more than 50 deaths throughout the country, hundreds of injured and the questioning of the incipient regime by a large part of the Peruvian population. This situation led to peaceful -and other violent- manifestations throughout 2023 in dowtown Lima, attended by relatives of the deceased and demonstrators from all over Peru.
In them, many demands were made: Freedom for former president Castillo, resignation of Dina Boluarte, new elections, even shows of support for the Palestinian nation and other causes. However, the common point of all these protests was one: justice for those who died as a result of state repression. Justice that, more than a year after the murders perpetuated, has not been achieved.
These photographs focus on the demonstrators in Lima, their struggles and the need to demand a change for a country where the authorities do not want to recognize the crimes committed during state repression.
Justice Palace, downtown Lima, 12-10-23. A protester carries a technopor coffin that says "They are killing us", in reference to the more than 50 people killed in Peru after the bloody police and military repression at the beginning of 2023.
Justice Palace, downtown Lima, 12-10-23.
Left: A demonstrator carries a flag with an engraved bust of former president Pedro Castillo, ousted in Peru after attempting a failed coup d'état. Castillo is currently in prison for those events.
Right: A protester carries a child in his arms while waiting for the demonstration to continue. In almost every day of protests, some parents attended with their children to speak out against the government of Dina Boluarte.
Abancay Avenue, downtown Lima, 22-07-23. A demonstrator characterized as death demands new elections for Peru. Most of the protestors demand justice for the victims of the repression of Boluarte's government.
Paseo Colón, downtown Lima, 22-07-23. As many do, a marcher carries a peruvian flag while protesting against the current government. In every demonstration against the authorities, the citizens' advance through the city center is heavily escorted by police cordons, especially by police riot squads.
Paseo de los Héroes Navales, downtown Lima, 07-12-23. A group of demonstrators carry an allegorical representation of President Boluarte as a rat.
Left: Abancay Avenue, 22-07-23. Killa Sotelo and Luzdilan Camargo, sister and mother respectively of Inti Sotelo, a young man killed by pellets during the demonstrations against the government of Manuel Merino in 2020, another expresident accused of violent represion, are present in solidarity with the victims and demanding justice for Inti.
Right: Abancay Avenue, 07-12-23. A citizen characterized as an Inca attends to express his rejection of the government.
Universitary Park, dowtown Lima, 12-10-23. In addition to the claims against the State, many peruvians show their support for fights such as that of the Palestinian people, savagely attacked by the State of Israel.
Universitary Park, downtown Lima, 12-10-23. An andean demonstrator protests in front of the media.
Nicolás de Piérola Avenue, downtown Lima, 12-10-23.
The police barricade prevents the demonstrators from reaching the Congress of the Republic, another of the State institutions seriously questioned by the Peruvian population.
Universitary Park, downtown Lima, 12-10-23. A protester raises his fist in a sign of fight against power.
Abancay Avenue, downtown Lima, 22-07-23. Hundreds of people came from different parts of the country to raise their voices in protest. From Puno, where the repression left 18 dead, women's collectives arrived at the capital and played a leading role during the demonstrations.
Downtown Lima, 22-07-23. The demonstrators show their discontent with the current government with all kinds of signs and proclamations. One of them says "We are not the inundation of barbarism, we are the flood of justice".
Left: Grau Avenue, downtown Lima, 22-07-23. Curious moments were also experienced in the demonstrations, such as when a salesman decided to join the caravan while transporting his cart of sweets and snacks.
Right: Justice Palace, downtown Lima, 22-07-23. A demonstrator stopped at the Palace of Justice with a Peruvian flag tied to his head.
Abancay Avenue, downtown Lima, 07-12-23. The Whipala, flag that represents the Andean cosmovision, is present in all manifestations.
Nicolás de Piérola Avenue, downtown Lima, 19-07-23. Prepared for confrontation with police forces, some citizens carry wooden shields and tear gas bomb deactivation equipment.
Left: Nicolás de Piérola Avenue, downtown Lima, 07-12-23. "Spilled blood does not drown the people's struggle, but waters it. Fight and persist for a new constitution with the people and for the people. Down with the dictatorship!" says a sign.
Right: Downtown Lima, 22-07-23. Police officers accompanied the demonstration peacefully until clashes between law enforcement and protesters started in Plaza San Martin.
Universitary Park, downtown 12-10-23. A woman carries a sign that reads "For my country", in reference to the protests seeking justice for those killed by the repression in 2023.
Abancay Avenue, downtown Lima, 12-10-23. "Justice. Not only did they murder my brother, they also killed my mother."
Left: San Martín Square, downtown Lima, 22-07-23.The Puno women's groups were particularly active in this demonstration, demanding justice for the victims of police repression in Juliaca in January of this year.
Right: Abancay Avenue, downtown Lima, 12-10-23. "God is great. Allah is with Palestine" says the sign of a palestinian activist.
Abancay Avenue, downtown Lima, 12-10-23. A woman waves a Peruvian flag with her back to the police cordon guarding the advance of the demonstration.
Left: Abancay Avenue, downtown Lima, 07-12-23. A woman writes on a sign "We have a president", referring to former ruler Pedro Castillo, imprisoned in 2022. Some protesters consider Castillo's removal as illegitimate and demand his reinstatement.
Right: Abancay Avenue, downtown Lima, 19-07-23. A protester waves a flag of the "Unitary Union of Educational Workers of Peru" (SUTEP), which strongly opposes the Boluarte government.
Abancay Avenue, downtown Lima,19-07-23. Some protestors carried signs with pictures of the victims of the repression.
San Martín Square, downtown Lima, 19-07-23. At one end of the Plaza San Martin, a group of citizens set up a improvised memorial for those killed in the manifestations earlier this year.
Abancay Avenue, downtown Lima, 07-12-23. A large group of demonstrators carry a giant Peruvian flag as they advance towards the Congress of the Republic.
San Martín Square, downtown Lima, 22-07-23.
Left: A protester is medically treated after being beaten by the police and affected by tear gas.
Right: Like this woman, many citizens carried Peruvian flags and argued that they were taking to the streets to defend their homeland.
San Martín Square, downtown Lima, 22-07-23. The movement throughout the demonstration practically never ceased.
Abancay Avenue, downtown Lima, 07-12-23. A graffiti on one wall reads "Narco Congreso", accusing the Congress of the Republic of having ties to drug trafficking and working for illicit interests.
San Martín Square, downtown Lima, 22-07-23. Around seven at night, the protesters broke the police cordon and entered the Plaza San Martin, which was declared intangible territory by the city's mayor, Rafael López.
Justice Palace and San Martín Square, downtown Lima, 22-07-23. Tear gas and colored smoke did not wait amid clashes between police and protesters.
Justice Palace, downtown Lima, 22-07-23. A group of protesters arrived at the Palace of Justice and took the main entrance, from where they waved flags and chanted at one voice: "DIna asesina" (Killer Dina!).
