Healing Peru - Manifesting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in the Republic of Peru (ePub)

Since former president Pedro Castillo was ousted in December 2022, protests have broken out in Peru.

More than 20 people have been killed in the protests. On 14.December 2022, the government declared a 30-day state of emergency, suspending the right of assembly and free movement.

The police and armed forces have been accused by rights groups of using deadly firearms and dropping smoke bombs from helicopters. The military says protesters, most in Peru's Andean south, have used homemade weapons and explosives.

The protests, the worst to hit the country in years, threaten to disrupt Peru's economy and the political stability in the world's No. 2 copper producer where many have lost faith in government institutions in recent years.

The protests may eventually die down as resources run low, Christmas holidays approach and roadblocks drive up already inflated prices of basic goods like rice, cooking oil and wheat.

But the fundamental problems driving the unrest will not go away: an abysmal gap remains between the powerful capital, Lima, and much of the rest of the country.

Analysts have long talked about the Peruvian paradox - the coexistence of political instability and economic stability, but that may become a thing of the past. Peru's broken political system will inevitably drive down foreign investment - which the economy is heavily reliant on - and the situation could get even worse.

"In this crisis today where families are mourning and in pain, where basic public infrastructure is destroyed... I reiterate that dialogue is our main way to return to normality," current President Dina Boluarte said in a speech.

Peru's Congress tentatively endorsed a plan on December 20, to hold early elections in an attempt to defuse the national political crisis - which is certainly a step in the right direction to restore political stability.

Hence it is imperative that the current government in Peru makes a greater attempt to stop political corruption, inequality and repression - so that political stability and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) can be manifested in Peru.

It is also imperative that the repression and police violence against the people of Peru immediately stops, so that democracy and fundamental human rights are protected and upheld in Peru.

Otherwise an intervention from the NGO Community will be necessary, so that Basic Human Rights, Economic Stability and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) can be upheld in Peru.