Two years ago, between December 2022 and March 2023, more than 1,400 people were injured by bullets, pellets and tear gas fired by police and military during protests in different regions of Peru. , and how authorities failed to ensure their health and recovery.
survival story
Diego: “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t feel pain, like every day I have breakfast and lunch.”
Diego never imagined that he would have more than a hundred metal lead pellets living in his body.
“Before I got injured, I loved working hard on my piece of land. My goal was to have my own house… I wanted to grow fruit trees, citrus fruits and rice. But on January 9, in the city of Juliaca, I life was cut short.
Diego Quispe Livisi is a 35-year-old farmer and miner in Asangaro province, an hour’s drive from the city of Juliaca in southern Peru. On January 9, 2023, he was shot and killed by police while walking near Juliaca Airport looking for transportation. On the same day, the Peruvian National Police used illegal, excessive and unnecessary force, killing 18 people, making it the deadliest day in the crackdown.
Before I got hurt, my favorite thing was fighting for my patch. My goal is to own my own house… I want to grow fruit trees, citrus fruits and rice. But on January 9, in Juliaca, my life was cut short.
Diego Quispe Livesi.
Teofilo: “I took out a loan to pay for my medical bills and I was in debt.”
On December 10, 2022, Teófilo Ramirez Ortega, a 54-year-old father of five, had his left leg bone penetrated by a bullet and broken into three pieces.
“Before I got injured, I loved working. I worked in crops, construction, transportation, everything.
Teofilo was shot and killed by police while working as a motorcycle trucker in downtown Andaveras. He has recently regained some mobility after being bedridden for more than a year.
“For me, it’s better to be in jail than to be in a locked room for so long,” he said. “I didn’t even sleep. I was in so much pain, I was screaming.
Reid: “Emotionally, it still bothers me so much when I remember it. It’s hard to forget.
On the night of December 15, 2022, 27-year-old taxi driver Reyder Hinostroza was shot in the right leg as he ran to help another injured person, a day remembered for the misuse of deadly weapons . The deadly crackdown left 10 people dead in one day.
Red’s job as a taxi driver took a hit and he couldn’t work the long hours he once did. Although he no longer uses a cane, he still has a limp. This all affects his ability to provide for his grandparents, who rely on his income and sustenance.
Luzmila: “There are no specialists here in Juliaca. For this I have to go to Lima, but I can’t afford it.
Luzmila is 46 years old and her native language is Quechua. On January 7, 2023, as she prepared to cross an avenue near Juliaca Airport with her daughter and five-year-old granddaughter, she was shot in the ankle by police four blocks away.
Before the incident, she worked as a chef in a restaurant. “It hurts now and I have no use for it. I have blood pressure problems, anxiety, diabetes and obesity. I didn’t have any of these conditions before.
“The bones have healed, but the nerves don’t seem to have. In Juliaca there are no neurologists. For this I had to go to Lima. Tears welled up in her eyes as she talked about the slow process of her recovery. ” My family was heartbroken that I wasn’t getting better. “
It hurts so much now and there’s nothing I can do with it. I have blood pressure issues, anxiety, diabetes and obesity. I didn’t have these conditions before.
Luzmila.
health system failing them
Diego, Teofilo, Red and Luzmila commented that the medical care they received during these two years was inadequate, discriminatory, expensive and at times insulting.
For Diego, the medical care he received from Peru’s public services was so poor that he was forced to travel to Bolivia for treatment. Doctors told him the particles in his body were made of grooved metal, complicating any surgical intervention. “That’s why I have to continue to live like this until the last day God gives me life. There is no other way. I have to keep fighting like this. Diego was shot in the arms, hands, legs, calves and buttocks hit.
His symptoms included extreme sensitivity to heat. “These objects (pellets) made my body feel like a solar thermos, raising the temperature.” The condition affected his sleep and caused him constant pain as the metal in his body cut nerves and tissue. “Sometimes I smile on the outside but feel depressed on the inside,” he said.
A few months after the incident, he came to the provincial public hospital in great pain. Diego told Amnesty International that health staff dismissed him and relieved his pain, and that a technician at the hospital told him they were not dealing with “the January 9 case.” [of the protests]”, Instead, Diego observed that the same day, a boy injured from sports arrived and took care of him, but they ignored Diego.
Just as Diego was treated with contempt at the Asangaro public hospital, Teofilo also told Amnesty International that the treatment received by Andaveras public health system staff in December 2022 was humiliating and that they were trying to explain what had happened It was blamed on him. [protest] Isn’t it you?”, or “What did you do to deserve them to do this to you.
With continued physical therapy, Teodoro’s mobility can be improved. But he did not have enough money to pay for these treatments, and the Andaveras public hospital provided him with few.
Although Teofilo admitted he was traumatized, he was not offered psychological support. “I would be relieved if this care was available, but it’s not currently available.” This is the case for many survivors, who do not receive comprehensive support to address their mental health issues. They are constantly struggling to achieve success, which often affects their personal and family finances.
This is even more so given that a recent Amnesty International survey of the Peruvian health system found that people with public insurance tended to receive treatment in the private sector, spending money out of their own pockets, which had an impact on the Peruvian health system. Makes more sense.
Authority partial and truncated support
Faced with international and domestic outrage over the country’s repression, Peruvian authorities established an ad hoc committee to compile a list of beneficiaries to receive financial support over the course of several months in 2023. According to an Amnesty International response to a public information request, the government paid a total of 7 million soles (approximately $1.99 million) in special one-time payments to 155 seriously injured people and 111 relatives of the deceased. While the payments the injured received were important to support their recovery, survivors told Amnesty International that their needs far exceeded what the state was able to provide, as not only were they physically affected, but their livelihood projects were also The cuts, in short, affect their education, housing, jobs and other rights. In addition to this, many survivors of repression come from marginalized communities in rural areas and lack comprehensive services from the state. The commission established to support victims should not be just an ad hoc body but should become a comprehensive administrative reparations program, such as the one developed for victims of the violence that occurred during the country’s 2017 internal armed conflict. ‘s and ’90s.
Hope and work hard to move forward
Despite setbacks and obstacles, survivors found ways to organize themselves, forming victims’ associations in their regions and at national level. As Teofilo said: “There is strength in numbers. We are not animals, we are treated as such, but we are not. We are Andean Quechua speakers. The struggles of these associations are the same, Diego In his words: “We’re not going to give up, we’re going to see who is responsible for these incidents, because I really want to know. What encourages me the most is that justice is served. Red feels the same way: “I’m not the same person anymore. Personally, but I will always fight. “In the words of Luzmila: Yes, I am injured, but they can never take my life. For the sake of my family, I will continue to work hard.”
The state must respond to the legitimate demands of victims, bring to justice those suspected of serious human rights abuses, including at the highest levels, and provide a comprehensive administrative compensation package that covers all medical expenses for victims and survivors.
This article is part of Amnesty International’s campaign to seek justice for victims of the crackdown on protests in Peru. Show solidarity with them by signing this petition: Stand with the victims of repression in Peru.
This article originally appeared in Spanish News Weekly
