Amnesty accuses Peruvian authorities of 'marked racist bias' in protest crackdown

Relatives and friends of victims of recent clashes with the Peruvian police -- within protests against President Dina Boluarte -- carry pictures of their loved ones during a march commemorating one month of their death on February 9, 2023, in Juliaca, Puno region.

(CNN)Amnesty International has accused Peruvian authorities of acting with "a marked racist bias" in its crackdown on protests that have roiled the country since December, saying "populations that have historically been discriminated against" are being targeted, according to a report released on Thursday.

Drawing on data from the Peruvian Ombudsman's Office, Amnesty says it "found that the number of possible arbitrary deaths due to state repression" were "disproportionately concentrated in regions with largely Indigenous populations."
Amnesty also says that areas with majority indigenous populations have accounted for the majority of deaths since the protests began. "While the regions with majority Indigenous populations represent only 13% of Peru's total population, they account for 80% of the total deaths registered since the crisis began," Amnesty wrote.