On January 11, 2023, one year ago, a 22-year-old man named Rosalino Florez Valverde was shot and killed by a volley of bullets while protesting against the government of Dina Bolluarte in Cusco. The scene is recorded on video: it is clearly seen how the boy, who was not armed, hides behind a tree until a police officer chases him and shoots him repeatedly from behind. Tomography revealed the brutality: 36 bullets destroyed his lower back area. They operated on him three times, but only 14 bullets could be removed. He died in Lima on March 21 after 69 days of torture.
On Friday, the judiciary issued an 18-month preventive detention against Joe Eric Torres Lovon, a police non-commissioned officer identified as the author of the murder of Flórez Valverde. The judgment represents a light for the bereaved of a dysfunctional justice apparatus that has identified the alleged attackers in only six cases. This is the first preventive detention order implicating a member of the law enforcement forces in connection with the mobilization in which 49 civilians were killed by fire projectiles and tear gas bombs.
Judge Leodon Cristóbal Ayala of the Sixth Preparatory Investigation Court of the Supreme Court pronounced the sentence forcefully. “The loss is immeasurable, not just to their families. His father, mother and younger siblings have suffered in countless, indescribable ways (…) It was not an isolated crime, but a disproportionate state response. Not only lives but also people’s rights to express dissent were affected, the magistrate noted. In the context of serious violations of human rights, the agent is prosecuted for the crime of manslaughter qualified with treachery.
Defending the victim, lawyer Juan Jose Quispe called the judiciary’s verdict more valuable than the lack of speed with which the investigation was conducted. “This is the first case in which preventive detention has been issued against the direct author of the death of a social protest opponent. “In addition, the magistrate made clear in his resolution that the state, through Peru’s national police, used disproportionate and abusive force to repel protesters,” he told the newspaper. Trade.
The case represents a double whammy for an organization that must ensure security. According to an investigation by Mirela Coronel of the special team of prosecutors for the cases of victims during social protests, the police obstructed the investigation by hiding, modifying and ignoring information (Efficit). On January 11, 2023, the day of the attack on Rosalino Flórez Valverde, a relevant report about the incident was not prepared. Second, through a report, the Seventh Macro Police Region of Cusco maintained that the Tactical Actions Subunit (SUAT), which belongs to Torres Lovón, was not assigned to the area where Flórez Valverde was shot, however, there is video that proves otherwise. doing. .
But that’s not the only evidence of an attempt to falsify the facts: SUAT’s weapons assignment notebook shows that Torres Lovon’s shotgun was returned to him on January 10, the day before the attack, when it was initially reported he was there. 12th January. There was one correction left in the notebook which is the subject of investigation.
The reasons behind the 18-month preventive detention against Agent Torres Lován are that he could not prove local origin. If convicted, he faces 15 to 35 years in prison. The accused joined the hearing virtually, which is not his name. “We are dealing with a person with a high risk of theft or escape,” said Judge Leodon Cristobal Ayala. His location and capture has been ordered across the country.
The prosecutor’s request to impose a summons with sanctions and impediment to leaving the country on Col. Edson Hernán Cerón Lazo for the killing of Rosalino Flórez Valverde is pending evaluation. He is being investigated as an alleged criminal, by action or omission, because he is Torres Lován’s best. A hearing to decide his fate will take place on January 22.
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