Ayacucho massacre

Ayacucho massacre
Part of 2022–2023 Peruvian protests
A vigil at Plaza Manco Cápac held for those killed
LocationAyacucho, Peru
Coordinates13°09′47″S 74°13′28″W / 13.16306°S 74.22444°W / -13.16306; -74.22444
Date15 December 2022; 23 months ago (2022-12-15)
TargetProtesters
Attack type
Massacre
WeaponsIMI Galil, firearms
Deaths10
Injured61
PerpetratorsPeruvian Army

The Ayacucho massacre was a massacre[1] perpetrated by the Peruvian Army on 15 December 2022 in Ayacucho, Peru during the 2022–2023 Peruvian protests, occurring one day after President Dina Boluarte, with the support of right-wing parties in Congress, granted the Peruvian Armed Forces expanded powers and the ability to respond to demonstrations.[2] The clash occurred due to the protesters' attempt to storm the local airport.[3] On that day, demonstrations took place in Ayacucho and the situation intensified when the military deployed helicopters to fire at protesters, who later tried to take over the city's airport, which was defended by the Peruvian Army and the National Police of Peru.[4][5] Troops responded by firing live ammunition at protesters, resulting in ten dead and 61 injured.[2][6][7][8] Among the injured, 90% had gunshot wounds, while those killed were shot in the head or torso.[9][10] Nine of the ten killed had wounds consistent with the ammunition used in the IMI Galil service rifle used by the army.[11]

The event was not prominently covered by Western or Peruvian media.[12][13] Academics and human rights organizations condemned the excessive use of force by Peruvian authorities,[13][14][15][16][17] while the Minister of Culture and Minister of Education resigned from the newly formed government of Dina Boluarte in response.[18] The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights would describe the killings as a massacre.[19] The following day, the repression by the police and military led to new acts of vandalism, such as looting and burning of various unprotected public buildings.[9] The following month, the Juliaca massacre was perpetrated by the Peruvian National Police.

  1. ^  • Vega, Renzo Gómez (16 December 2022). "La represión de las protestas y los bloqueos de carreteras causan 20 muertos en Perú". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 December 2022. La masacre sucedió en los alrededores del aeropuerto Alfredo Mendívil Duarte
  2. ^ a b McDonald, Brent; Tiefenthäler, Ainara; Surdam, James (16 March 2023). "How Peru Used Lethal Force to Crack Down on Anti-Government Protests". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  3. ^ Panizo Arana, Mathías (12 December 2022). "Fuego, caos y descontrol: así fue la violenta toma del aeropuerto de Arequipa y los enfrentamientos entre manifestantes y PNP". El Comercio (in Spanish). ISSN 1605-3052. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Perú: Se eleva a 18 las víctimas fatales de la represión en manifestaciones tras masacre de militares en Ayacucho". Resumen (in Spanish). 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :23 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Ayacucho: Fiscalía abre investigación a 2 generales por 10 muertos en protestas". La Republica (in Spanish). 21 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Turkewitz, Julie; Moriyama, Victor (19 December 2022). "Una pausa en las protestas de Perú para honrar a los muertos". The New York Times (in Spanish). ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  9. ^ a b "90% de heridos en enfrentamientos en Ayacucho son por perdigones e impactos de bala". infobae (in European Spanish). 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  10. ^ de 2022, 23 de Diciembre (23 December 2022). "Guido Bellido propone beneficio económico para deudos de fallecidos en protestas". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 25 December 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Hidalgo, María Elena (14 February 2023). "Protestas en Ayacucho: los mataron con balas de fusiles Galil". La Republica (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Y la masacre en Ayacucho?". Wayka. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  13. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference :26 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference :14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference :15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference :16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ "Informe de la CIDH sobre Perú confirma violaciones de DD.HH. y habla de ejecuciones extrajudiciales". Ojo Público (in Spanish). 5 March 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.