Event Summary
Between 23 and 28 January 2026, police allegedly detained two individuals and harassed protesters out eight unnecessary identity checks during the “Marcha de Sacrificio – Uyariy” organised by the National Organisation of Families of Victims of the 2022–2023 Massacre (ONAFAMYVM), Generation Z youth, and transport unions.
The march was convened with the main demand for state acknowledgment of acts of violence committed against the citizens and guarantee effective sanctions. As part of this demand, participants also protested the deactivation of Eficavip, the Special Prosecutors’ Team for cases involving victims during the protests. The gathering was scheduled to begin in San Vicente, Cañete on 25 January and reached the center of Lima on 28 January, a date chosen to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Víctor Santisteban, the first fatal victim in Lima during protests against Dina Boluarte.
As of 23 January, the victims’ relatives had already begun the march on their way to Cañete. Along the route, family members reported that a police patrol vehicle from Arequipa had continuously followed the vehicle in which they were traveling, and that the reason for this surveillance was not clearly explained by the officers. On 27 January, upon entering the Lima region in the district of Chilca, police allegedly detained two individuals without explaining the reasons. In addition, the organisation Tejiendo Redes Comunitarias reported that eight identity checks had been carried out on family members since they began their journey toward the capital. On the night of January 28, the police obstructed the protesters’ march toward Congress.
The police actions received criticism for harassing protesters. Some civil society organisations, such as the Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos and Tejiendo Redes Comunitarias monitored the march and shared information through their social media channels. Congresswoman Ruth Luque also carried out unannounced visits to Asia and the police station in Mala – districts through which the march was expected to pass – to observe the situation. She concluded that the police presence did not constitute accompaniment, but rather harassment.
Such police actions and repression of protests constitute a serious threat to the enabling environment for the exercise of fundamental rights, and send a chilling effect on the exercise of freedoms of assembly and expression in the country.