Thursday, August 15, 2024

PERU: Communal peasants sentenced to 6 to 7 years in prison for protesting against genocidal government

 

We publish the following complaint that we have received:

 

On Friday, August 9, 2024, there was a great sit-in at the Palace of Justice, in support of the Cusco community members sentenced to 6 to 7 years in prison for raising their voice in protest. The people demand their freedom. Every Peruvian has the right to free expression. Where is it established that a Peruvian can be sentenced to 6 to 7 years for raising his voice in protest against a fascist, genocidal and traitorous government? It doesn't exist, gentlemen. Only in Peru does this happen. Abuse of justice occurs. There is no sentence for the real thieves, murderers, and genocidaires. They remain free, killing, stealing. Enough is enough!!!

 

 



 The information:

 

For Protests against the fascist, genocidal and traitor Dina Boluarte: PJ ratifies 6-year prison sentence for young protesters in Cusco

 

The Quechua-speaking protesters belong to the peasant community of Cuyo Grande. Their families reported that they will continue to mobilize to demand the review of the case of their children, who have already been serving a year and a half in prison.

 

They denounce contempt for peasant communities

 

The young people have been held in the Quencoro prison since January 31, 2023, that is, for a year and a half, and, despite efforts to obtain their freedom, the Judiciary continues to deny them this possibility due to the lack of home confinement.

 

One of the controversial points in this case is that the first instance judge did not take into account the low educational level of the young people, who also received inadequate advice from their lawyers, according to the new defense.

 

They point out that the decision issued on February 28, 2024 is based on a plea bargain, which was reached through an early conclusion process, which allows the accused to accept their responsibility in exchange for a more lenient sentence, thus avoiding a lengthy trial.

 

The Cuyo Grande community, together with its leaders, has expressed deep concern about the sentence and criticized the indifference of the institutions towards their situation, arguing that the authorities are not considering their cultural and socioeconomic context or the conditions under which the judicial process was carried out.

 

Along these lines, a member of the community expressed his frustration, highlighting that this situation reflects a marginalization and lack of respect towards indigenous communities.

 

“None of the appeals we have submitted have been taken into account. Both the Public Prosecutor's Office and the court have ignored our requests. The saddest thing for us is that, as indigenous communities, they have not even listened to us. They treat us as if we were just another community and, in other words, they marginalize us.”

 

He added that the lack of attention to their demands and the disregard for their particular contexts foster a feeling of injustice and abandonment. In this sense, the struggle for the freedom of the young people will continue.