The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a report Thursday criticizing Peru’s response to anti-government protests that broke out in December 2022. Among the recommendations the office made, it called for reforms to “ensure the exercise of human rights in the context of demonstrations, continue accountability efforts, & enable a decentralized & inclusive national dialogue.”

Last December, thousands of Peruvians protested against the government of Dina Boluarte, who assumed the presidency after the vacancy of former president Pedro Castillo. Although the largest number of protests took place in the capital, the protesters mobilized in different regions of the country. These protests intensified to the point that there were clashes with police forces that left people dead and injured.

The office issued its report following visits to regions such as Apurímac, Ayacucho, Cusco, Ica and Puno carried out by the OHCHR Technical Mission in Peru between March 6 and 29 of this year. OHCHR “interviewed more than 280 people, including 62 victims, 40 relatives of victims and 37 witnesses.” The report indicates that 61 percent of the people interviewed self-identify as indigenous or agricultural workers, and many respondents connected excessive force used against protesters to “deep-seated social and historical discrimination against Indigenous Peoples in the social, political and economic spheres of the country.”

In terms of numbers, the report recorded a total of 61 civilian deaths, among which 50 had been killed, ostensibly by law enforcement forces, and 11 died in the context of road blockades, in accidents or due to lack of medical attention. In addition, OHCHR verified a total of 208 cases of police and military personnel injured during the protests.

The report also highlights the events that occurred in January of this year when a group of protesters from all over Peru were staying at San Marcos University, which led to the abrupt entry of police to evict them. This intervention occurred after a complaint from a San Marcos representative, who warned the police that students and external people had taken over the university. The report addressed these encounters as “interconnected, intersectional and aggravated forms of discrimination and stigmatization.” It also welcomed the Public Prosecutor’s August decision to not go ahead with “aggravated usurpation” charges against the protesters.

The report encompasses the use of force during protests, threats and stigmatization, the coverage of the social protests from journalist, accountability, access to justice, prevention and victim support. The OHCHR  also suggests that authorities should “foster spaces for dialogue between victims, their families and the authorities” to promote structural changes and reforms in these areas.