Peru president to establish ‘crisis management’ committee amid protests
Peru’s new president, Dina Boluarte, announced Tuesday that the government will establish a crisis management committee as protests continue across the country.
The committee will be headed by Pedro Angulo, president of Peru’s Council of Ministers, and will include other representatives, including the heads of the defense, transportation, interior, and communications ministries, among others, the presidency announced on Twitter on Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, former President Pedro Castillo denied charges of conspiracy and rebellion, following his impeachment trial and arrest on December 7 following he announced plans to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government.
In a handwritten letter posted on his Twitter account, Castillo called on his supporters to meet on Wednesday at the Lima detention center where he is being held, assuring them that he will be released once his pretrial detention period ends. He asked his supporters to meet him at 1:42 pm Miami time outside of downtown.
On Tuesday, the Judiciary dismissed Castillo’s appeal once morest preventive detention.
The Prosecutor’s Office might request the extension of preventive detention, which, if approved, would keep Castillo behind bars for up to 36 months while he is investigated for the alleged crimes of rebellion and abuse of authority, among others.
As of Tuesday night, national highways in at least 14 regions of the country have been blocked by protests, Peru’s National Police said in a statement.