English Story

秘鲁政府被敦促调查抗议者之死

Human Rights Watch has urged the Peruvian government to conduct a full investigation into the deaths of six civilians during a demonstration.

人权观察组织敦促秘鲁政府对某次游行过程中6位平民之死展开深入调查。

Six protesters died during Sunday
Six protesters died during Sunday's clashes with police

They died during a protest by some 6,000 unlicensed miners in the south of the country.

Opposition politicians are pushing the government to scrap(解体,废弃) or amend(改善,修改) the laws which provoked(激起,挑衅) the unrest(不安,动荡) .

Police opened fire as they were pelted with(用……扔某人) stones by protesters blocking the main coastal road, the PanAmericana.

Five demonstrators were killed, 30 more injured, and a woman passenger on a stalled(失速的) bus reportedly died of a heart attack.

Fight for resources

Human Rights Watch spokesman Jose Miguel Vivanco said using lethal(致命的,致死的) force to disperse(分散,传播) a demonstration was not permitted simply because a state of emergency had been declared.

The unlicensed miners were among more than 10,000 across the south of the country who marched against a presidential decree(法令,判决) which aimed to impose environmental controls which, they say, threaten their jobs.

President Alan Garcia said on Monday that unlicensed mining must be formalised not just because of its impact on the environment.

"It's a savage(残酷的,野蛮的) form of mining because it's completely unregulated and doesn't pay taxes," he said.

"It creates forms of work which are a type of slavery or servitude(劳役,奴役) which generate other forms of servitude such as prostitution, people trafficking and child labour," he added.

Blocking roads in Peru is illegal and the government has refused to negotiate with the protest leaders as long as miners occupy the road.

Meanwhile, the political opposition are pushing to see the laws revoked(废除,取消) or modified in an effort to ease the tensions.

The Peruvian government wants to create a mining exclusion zone in the Amazon region of Madre de Dios - the most heavily mined area.

Official figures say it produces around 20 tonnes of gold a year.

How natural resources are exploited(开发,开采) and by whom is the main cause of unrest in Peru.

As last weekend's events demonstrate, the tension can unexpectedly flare up and turn to violence.