Assassination of candidate Susy Aponte sparks censure motion against Peru's Interior Minister
Peru's opposition has initiated a motion against Interior Minister César Astudillo following the killing of journalist and candidate Susy Aponte in Caraz.
Censure motion against Interior Minister following "La China Polo" murder
The opposition party Juntos por el Perú announced on Monday that it will present a censure motion against Interior Minister César Astudillo following the shooting death of journalist and regional candidate Susy Isabel Aponte Polo, carried out on Saturday during a campaign event in the city of Caraz in the north-west of the country, according to latercera.com.
Aponte Polo, also known as "La China Polo", was running for governor of the Áncash region. Nine days before her death, she had publicly denounced the then head of the Criminal Investigation Directorate (DIRINCRI), Víctor Revoredo Farfán, accusing him of having ordered an attack on her. "From three prisons I have received calls warning me that this man Víctor Revoredo Farfán has ordered an attack on me. I have already filed a complaint with the relevant authorities," she declared days before being killed.
The opposition's response
Party spokesman Ernesto Zunini announced the motion on social media and questioned whether Revoredo Farfán's reassignment "clarifies responsibilities or explains what went wrong". Zunini also demanded a concrete response from the Executive. "Susy Aponte Polo reported threats against her life. Days later she was killed. The Government must respond: what did it do to protect her?", he posed.
The legislator called on all parliamentary groups to repeal "with urgency the laws that hinder the fight against crime" and to advance an effective police reform. He accused Keiko Fujimori's Executive of "ignoring" those measures, characterising that stance as "inadmissible". "We do not need more political manoeuvres. We need results. We will not turn our backs on the country," he concluded.
Two suspects detained
The Peruvian courts ordered provisional detention for 15 days on that same Monday for the two suspects in the murder: Luis Obispo Díaz and Ronald José Toro Ardila, under investigation as alleged hired killers. Obispo Díaz is identified as the author of the shots that ended the life of the candidate; Toro Ardila, for having coordinated the plan from Lima.
Source: Google News PE — Crime