Peru imposes curfew to quell protests over rising prices

Peru’s capital city and main port were under a tight curfew on Tuesday decreed by President Pedro Castillo in response to sometimes violent protests over rising prices of fuel and food.

The surprise curfew announced shortly before midnight left major highways and street markets almost deserted and Peruvians struggling to find ways to get to work. Troops joined police in the streets under terms of a state of emergency that restricts rights to movement and gatherings and against arbitrary searches.

The curfew, which resembled the tightest lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, exempted essential services such as food markets, pharmacies, clinics and trash collection. But there was no bus service to take workers to their jobs.

“It’s a shame. We’re experiencing a terrible economic situation, brother,” said Juan Gutiérrez, a 45-year-old father of four who had been waiting in vain for a bus for more than an hour so he could get to a clothing workshop where he is paid by the piece.