Madre de Dios Authorities Call for State of Emergency to Push Back Violent Mining Protests

Amid calls for a state of emergency among regional leaders, Interior Minister Daniel Lozada said late Wednesday that police will push back against the informal miners who have escalated deadly protests in the region of Madre de Dios, located in Peru’s south-eastern Amazon basin.

Lozada said that more than 40 people have been arrested in the city of Puerto Maldonado, where informal miners have been protesting for the past 10 days. By the end of Wednesday, three people were reported killed and some 38 injured during clashes between protesters and police. Among the wounded are nine police.

“We are in a position to say that we are retaking control of the city and we aren’t Read more…

Growing Drug Consumption In Peru A Concern – U.S. Gov’t

An increase in illicit drug consumption in Peru is a growing concern, while the country lacks sufficient facilities and resources to provide treatment to drug-abusers, the U.S. government said.

The U.S. State Department, in its 2012 International Narcotics Control Strategy report, said that about 1 million Peruvians use illegal drugs, while there are some 150,000 addicts in the country.

Public treatment facilities are “insufficient,” with only 6,000 addicts receiving care in 2010, the report said. “The [Government of Peru’s] Ministry of Health is Read more…

Peru Cabinet Minister Says Women Should Aim For Economic Independence

Minister of Women, Ana Jara, said Thursday that Peruvian women need greater economic independence as a way to avoid domestic violence in the Andean country, Radio Programas reported.

Peru’s government said that since 2009, 385 women have been murder victims, of which 70% were killed by their partner or former partner.

“In Peru, 11 women die each month in a context of femicide,” said Juan Huambachano, the head of the Public Ministry’s Crime Observatory.  Read more…

Peru Beefs Up Security In Illegal Mine Protests

Peru’s national police have increased security in the city of Puerto Maldonado, the capital of the south-east jungle region of Madre de Dios, during the third day of protests by informal miners, local media reported.

Peru’s largest circulation newspaper, El Comercio, said Wednesday that an extra 100 police officers were sent to the city. By Monday, the government had sent about 700 police officers to Madre de Dios to provide security during the start of the protests. Read more…

Valdes: Protesting Miners Largely From Outside Madre de Dios

Peruvian Cabinet Chief Oscar Valdes said most of the protesters taking part in demonstrations in Madre de Dios against laws that criminalize illegal mining are from other parts of the country.

According to Valdes, most of the local population in the south jungle region does not support the protests, which entered their third day on Wednesday.

“A large part of the Madre de Dios population is against illegal mining because the natives in the area are involved in other activities,” state news agency Andina reported Valdes as saying.

Some 30,000 people are involved in informal and illegal mining in the Read more…

Business Normal In Madre de Dios Amid Illegal Mine Protests

Business activities in southern Peru’s Madre de Dios department were normal on Monday despite the start of protests by informal gold miners, the president of the local chamber of commerce, Roman Meza, said.

Shops and banks opened their doors, while activities at public agencies were also normal, as illegal miners launched protests calling for the government to reverse legislation approved last week that outlaws informal mining, state news agency Andina said.

D.L. 1102, published Feb. 29 in the official gazette El Peruano, considers sentences of between four to eight years’ imprisonment for unauthorized mining and for Read more…

Peru Sets Prison Sentence Guidelines for Illegal Mining

The Executive, in a move to bring widespread informal mining under control, has incorporated the activity into the Criminal Code and set sentence guidelines for convictions on charges of undertaking unauthorized exploration, extraction and development of mineral resources, and causing damage to the environment through such activities.

D.L. 1102, published Feb. 29 in the official gazette El Peruano, considers sentences of between four to eight years’ imprisonment for these crimes, and up to 10 years on convictions for mining in unauthorized areas —natural reserves and peasant or indigenous community lands— as well as using river dredges, and contaminating irrigation or water systems used by humans.

The sentences also apply in the case of employing minors in the industry, and to Read more…

Shining Path Leader Admits To Killings, Denies Drug Traffic Links

Florindo Flores, the captured leader of a Shining Path splinter group, has allegedly confessed to killing more than 130 people, according to newspaper El Comercio.

According to the daily, Flores, also known as Comrade Artemio, allegedly confessed to the killing of 56 soldiers, 43 police officers and 32 civilians between 1989 and 2011.

“I assume [responsibility] for everything,” Flores reportedly said. “I assume them as the head of the Huallaga Regional Committee. What you have read (the killings) are incidents of war.”

Prosecutors asked Flores why he had killed civilians, why they were “incidents of Read more…

Peru Declares Emergency In Prison System

Peru’s government has declared an emergency in the penitentiary system, in an attempt to improve security conditions in the country’s notorious prisons.

The emergency, which was published in the official gazette El Peruano, allows the National Penitentiary Institute, or INPE, to create investment proposals above 10 million soles ($3.73 million) aimed at expanding existing prisons, or creating new jails, state news agency Andina reported.

The Urgent Decree also declares a national necessity the execution of private investment in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of prison Read more…

Tacna To Request Closure Of Maximum Security Prison

Peru’s southern Tacna region is to ask the government to close the maximum security prison where 17 inmates escaped on Sunday, state news agency Andina reported.

Tacna’s regional cabinet will send a letter to government palace, the office of the prime minister and Congress to formally make the request.

Tacna says the Challapalca prison has caused unease among the local population, Read more…

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