The president of Peru, ‘seriously considering the death penalty amid the crime crime

CNN
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He Peruvian The Government declared on Monday an emergency in the provinces of Lima and Callao to stop an increase in crime, to a extent that follows the murder of a popular musician during the weekend.

President Dina Boluarte also raised the possibility of extending the use of the death penalty in Peru to address the country’s security problems.

The statement and statements of Boluarte occurred after Paul Hambert Flores García, singer of the Cumbia Harmia 10 group, was shot dead while traveling with his bandmates on his bus.

The Interior Ministry of Peru said Sunday that the police are dealing with the shooting as a deliberate attack.

According to the police documents obtained by CNN, the authorities believe that the shots were fired from a motorcycle, hitting the right side of the Aronia 10 bus with three bullets, one of which hit the singer, who entered the hospital with “cardiorespiratory arrest.” The documents show that the police have requested access to the surveillance video related to the shooting.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Interior said that it had deployed several units of the Peruvian National Police to identify and capture those responsible for the shooting, who have classified as a deliberate attack.

“For these damn murderers, I say that I am seriously considering the death penalty,” Boluarte said Monday at an event to mark the beginning of the 2025 school year.

It was the last instance that the president has publicly submitted his support to extend the use of the death penalty. Previously he did it in December 2024, after the murder of a girl.

Peru’s death penalty is currently used only for treason crimes in cases of war and terrorism, according to the Constitution. If it extended to include other crimes, the Constitution of Peru and the Criminal Code would need to be reformed. To advance with that, Peru would also have to dissociate the San José International Pact, which establishes limits in the death penalty.

In addition, the president would need to ensure the necessary votes of legislators, which she has not been able to obtain for some of her other initiatives.

After the statements of Boluarte, the Council of Ministers declared an emergency state in Lima and Callao for 30 days, authorizing the deployment of the Armed Forces of Peru to support the National Police.

Peru is experiencing a serious security crisis. Several public schools reported days ago that they were being extorted by criminals, which led them to propose virtual classes, according to the TV Peru state television station.

In September 2024, transport unions, who also informed having been extorted by criminals, carried out a strike of workers as a warning to the Boluarte government and marched towards Congress. At that time, an emergency state was also declared in various parts of the country.