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\n\tTwenty House Democrats on Monday pressed the Biden administration to immediately halt the flow of security funding to the Peruvian government over its vicious crackdown on protests against unelected President Dina Boluarte, who rose to power following the arrest of leftist President Pedro Castillo last month.\n<\/p>
\n\tSince Castillo's \n\tarrest and imprisonment<\/a>\u2014which drew vocal opposition from political leaders<\/a> in the region\u2014mass demonstrations have broken out and spread across Peru as largely low-income and Indigenous supporters of Castillo mobilize to demand his release, Boluarte's resignation, and sweeping constitutional reforms. Peru's security forces have swiftly and violently cracked down in an unsuccessful attempt to quell the uprising, killing more than 50 people and injuring hundreds more.\n<\/p> \n\tIn a \n\tletter<\/a> to U.S. President Joe Biden, a group of House Democrats led by Reps. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) and Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.) condemned the \"indiscriminate violence\" and \"consistent use of excessive force\" by Peruvian security forces and urged the administration to \"publicly denounce these ongoing human rights violations.\"\n<\/p> \n\tThe lawmakers also called on Biden to pause all security funding to Peru, which amounts to tens of millions of dollars annually. The House Democrats pointed with alarm to the U.S. ambassador to Peru's \"recent meeting with the Peruvian minister of defense and announcement of $8 million in further U.S. funding for CORAH, a Peruvian government coca eradication program, which includes funding for forces involved in the egregious human rights violations that are currently taking place.\"\n<\/p> \n\t\"We urge your administration to immediately suspend U.S. security assistance to Peru until the violent repression of protests ends and steps are taken by the country's authorities to investigate human rights crimes and prosecute those responsible,\" the lawmakers wrote.\n<\/p>\n