Is Canada arming the illegitimate use of lethal force against poor, Indigenous and campesino peoples in Peru?

Photo: “Amnesty’s @AgnesCallamard, @ErikaGuevaraR and @mnavarromangado are presenting the findings in a press conference in Lima, alongside Raul Samillán, president of the Association of Martyrs and Victims from 9 January in Juliaca, Puno.”

The Peruvian military attended the CANSEC arms show in Ottawa in 2014 and 2018 and is included in the promotional video for 2023.

According to official figures, Canada has exported $2.4 million in “military goods” to Peru over the past five years (2021 – $2,700.00; 2020 – $948,081.53; 2019 – $734,960.49; 2018 – $629,046.36; 2017 – $88,823.51).

The 2022 figures are expected to be released on May 30.

Yesterday, Amnesty International highlighted in this media statement: “Peru’s Attorney General’s Office should investigate all those, up to the highest level, who ordered or tolerated the illegitimate use of lethal force by security forces that resulted in 49 deaths during the protests from December to February…”

Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, says: “Using lethal firearms against protesters shows a blatant disregard for human life. Despite the government’s efforts to paint them as terrorists or criminals, those killed were demonstrators, observers and bystanders. Almost all of them were from poor, Indigenous and campesino backgrounds, suggesting a racial and socioeconomic bias in the use of lethal force.”

Lethal racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of force by Peru’s security forces calls on the President of Peru to “Publicly condemn the use of lethal force by security forces; develop and implement effective measures immediately to prevent the use of lethal force or inappropriate and prohibited weapons in the control of protests in Peru.”

Will Canada condemn the use of lethal force by Peruvian security forces?

On March 7 of this year, Mary Ng, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, met with Alberto Otárola, Prime Minister of Peru, and Alex Contreras, Minister of Economy and Finance of Peru, at the PDAC mining convention in Toronto.

Twitter photo/Mary Ng.

The Maple reports: “When pressed for details about the meeting by The Maple, GAC [Global Affairs Canada] spokesperson James Emmanuel Wanki … did not say if Ng specifically expressed concern at the Peruvian government’s violent response to the protests or if she called on the government to bring an end to such actions.”

The Maple further highlights that 71 Canadian mining companies hold nearly $10 billion worth of assets in Peru.

Protest the arming of human rights violations, May 31

PBI-Canada will be present at the protest on Wednesday May 31 starting at 7 am at the EY Centre in Ottawa where CANSEC will be held. Defence Minister Anand is scheduled to open CANSEC with a keynote address at 7:50 am.

For more on this protest, click here.