Peru to impose state of emergency in capital

LIMA

Peru's new government said on Oct. 16 that a state of emergency will be declared in the capital Lima, after weeks of anti-government protests over corruption and organized crime.

It comes after a man was shot dead by police on Oct. 15 and more than 100 people were injured after protests turned violent near the capital's congress building.

The South American country has been rocked by protests for weeks, and lawmakers voted last week to impeach then-president Dina Boluarte, who critics blamed for a surge in crime and accused of corruption.

The youth-led demonstrations have brought thousands of Peruvians, frustrated by the authorities' failure to address the worsening crime crisis, onto the streets in Lima and several other cities.

"We are going to announce the decision to declare a state of emergency at least in Metropolitan Lima," head of the cabinet Ernesto Alvarez told press after a leadership meeting.

Peru's police chief said on Oct. 16 that an officer from the criminal investigation directorate was believed to have fired the bullet that killed 32-year-old rapper Eduardo Ruiz on Oct. 15.

The officer, who was attacked by the crowd, has been detained and will be dismissed from his job, General Oscar Arriola said.

Ruiz was the first person to die in the protests led by the youth collective Generation Z.