The government of Peru declared, this Saturday (5), a state of emergency for 60 days in five maximum security prisons to combat the actions of criminal organizations that allegedly command crimes from within the units.
The measure authorizes the Peruvian National Police (PNP) to maintain control of internal order with support from the Armed Forces. The determination was signed by President Keiko Fujimori and affects the penitentiaries of Challapalca, Cochamarca, Miguel Castro Castro, Ancón I and Trujillo Varones.
In these five facilities and within a radius of up to 200 meters from their external perimeters, constitutional rights to freedom of movement, assembly and personal security are temporarily suspended.
According to data released by the Presidency of the Republic of Peru, the five prison units targeted by the measure house around 50% of the country’s inmates who have links to criminal organizations. Military and police intervention aims to disrupt the communication of these networks with the external environment.
In an official statement, the president of the Council of Ministers, Luis Galarreta, said that “the national government, through its various sectors, promotes measures against insecurity”. The official publication also says that, with the delegation of legislative powers requested from Parliament, the government will act with greater rigor.
During the decree’s validity, security forces will strictly control access to prisons and act to protect airspace and the electromagnetic spectrum in the vicinity of prisons, with the aim of preventing escapes.
The plan also provides for permanent inspections to seize cell phones, memory cards and weapons, in cooperation with the Special Operations Group (Goes) of the National Penitentiary Institute (Inpe), which remains responsible for the internal custody of inmates.
The initiative takes place amid rising rates of violence in the country. The homicide rate in Peru rose to 10.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants last year, registering an increase compared to the 10.1 recorded in 2024.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
