The death of 32-year-old musician Eduardo Ruiz has become a turning point for a nation exhausted by crime and corruption. Amid growing public discontent, the interim government of Jose Jeri has declared a state of emergency and demanded special powers.
Peru’s new government announced that a state of emergency will be imposed in the capital, Lima, after several weeks of anti-government protests fueled by anger over corruption and the surge in organized crime.
The decision followed violent clashes outside the Congress building, where a police officer fatally shot a man and more than a hundred people were injured.
Protests have been ongoing for weeks. Just a week earlier, parliament removed President Dina Boluarte from office after critics accused her of corruption and of being linked to the sharp rise in crime. Youth movements have mobilized thousands of Peruvians outraged by the government’s inability to contain the escalating security crisis.
“We intend to declare a state of emergency, at least across the metropolitan area of Lima,” said Prime Minister Ernesto Alvarez following a cabinet meeting.
On Thursday, the head of the national police said that the bullet that killed 32-year-old rapper Eduardo Ruiz was allegedly fired by a criminal investigations officer. According to General Oscar Arriola, the officer—who was attacked by a crowd—has been detained and will be dismissed from the force.
Police reported that 113 people were injured in the protests—84 security officers and 29 civilians. What began as a peaceful march turned into clashes when some demonstrators tried to break through a police cordon outside Congress. According to an AFP correspondent, some participants threw stones and set off fireworks, prompting riot police to respond with tear gas.
Earlier, the human rights organization National Coordinator for Human Rights said that Ruiz may have been killed by a shot fired by a plainclothes police officer.
The Country Is Gripped by a Wave of Violence and Extortion. After Boluarte’s Removal, Power Passed to Jeri, Who Promises “Tough Measures”
Peru is experiencing an unprecedented wave of violence: dozens of bus drivers, musicians, and other residents have been killed for refusing to pay “protection money” to criminal groups, including Peru’s Los Pulpos and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.
Former President Dina Boluarte, who had lost public trust, was removed from office by Congress for failing to stem the surge in crime. Six days later, former parliamentary speaker Jose Jeri assumed the role of interim head of state.
On Thursday, Jeri—a right-wing politician—asked Congress to grant him special powers to implement emergency security measures without submitting the bills for a vote.
That same evening, dozens of young people gathered at the site where Eduardo Ruiz was killed to honor his memory. They lit candles and laid flowers.
“The circumstances of his death were truly shameful,” 25-year-old university student Solaris Raez told AFP.
Demonstrators also demanded the resignation of Jeri’s government. “We young people are tired of violence, corruption, of the daily deaths and extortion,” said Ariana Palomino, a 30-year-old small shop owner.