Event Summary
A youth-led march organized by members of “Gen Z” took place on 28 September 2025, in downtown Asunción. The demonstration was called to protest against impunity, corruption, and the misuse of public resources. Despite being peaceful, the event unfolded under a massive police operation involving around 3,000 officers, which the National Police claimed was meant to “accompany the youth.”
The march, promoted on social media, gathered around 300 to 400 participants, including both young people and adults. Early on, attendees reported excessive police controls and the arrest of four individuals. Organizers had previously stated that the demonstration was peaceful, unaffiliated with any political parties or NGOs, and unfunded. They also warned of misleading messages online attempting to misrepresent the nature of the protest.
Later that night, the situation escalated. Police reportedly used force to disperse the crowd, deploying officers on motorcycles and in vans, as well as riot units and mounted troops. Human rights groups intervened as confusion grew. By midnight, reports confirmed that 31 people had been detained.
On the morning of Monday, 29 September, while protesters demanded the release of those arrested, the National Police Command stated that their actions were in response to violent behavior by some demonstrators. They also announced plans to deploy even more officers at future protests, indicating a worsening trend of police repression of peaceful protests. It was later revealed that the police had infiltrated social media networks to investigate alleged incitement to commit punishable acts. While the Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the messages on these networks, the interception of private communications was criticized as illegal and reminiscent of the political espionage conducted under Stroessner dictatorship.
By 8 p.m. on the evening of Monday, 29 September, all detained individuals had been released without charges. Meanwhile, the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture (MNPT) condemned the excessive use of police force, the lack of judicial warrants for the arrests, and the violation of the constitutional and internationally protected right to peaceful assembly. The Prosecutor’s office has since then opened a criminal case against the National Police for alleged police mistreatment and the lack of following proper procedures, such as granting the detained protesters a medical inspection.