Raúl Alfaro, former PNP commander who ordered Castillo's arrest and investigated for deaths in 2022 protests, dies
The 60-year-old general Raúl Alfaro, former chief of the National Police of Peru, died. He was investigated for aggravated homicide during protests against Boluarte.
General Raúl Alfaro, former PNP chief, dies at 60
The former general commander of the National Police of Peru (PNP), Raúl Alfaro, died at the age of 60, according to larepublica.pe. Alfaro headed the institution between August 2022 and March 2023, a period in which he featured in two central episodes of the Peruvian political crisis.
Appointed to the post by former president Pedro Castillo, Alfaro ultimately became the one who ordered the arrest of the president himself following the failed coup d'état on 7 December 2022. During the subsequent trial against Castillo on conspiracy charges, the general testified that the president had instructed him to close Congress, remove personnel, take over the office of the Attorney General and provide security to the homes of Premier Aníbal Torres and Prime Minister Chávez.
"The president says to me: 'General, close Congress, get everyone out, don't allow anyone to enter, take over the office of the Attorney General and provide security to the home of Señor Aníbal Torres, of Premier Chávez and to the home of their parents'. I replied to him: 'What is the reason?', and he told me that those details would be given by the minister (Willy Huerta)", Alfaro stated in the proceedings.
According to his testimony, those requests led him to conclude that the presidential decision was wrong and that he should proceed to order the detention of the president for flagrant violation.
Accusation of aggravated homicide in 2023 protests
The general also faced a fiscal investigation for deaths recorded during protests against president Dina Boluarte in the early months of 2023. The Specialised Multi-Provincial Corporate Prosecution Office for Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism presented a charge against Alfaro for the alleged crime of aggravated homicide with malice aforethought to the detriment of Denilson Huaraca, in his capacity as police chief during those events.
The Prosecution Office requested 35 years of effective imprisonment for Alfaro. The charge also encompassed the then lieutenant general PNP (r) Jorge Angulo.
Press records also indicate that Alfaro was summoned before the Public Ministry to answer questions about the killings committed during the social protests of December 2022 and January 2023. On that occasion, according to the same records, the former commander chose not to provide statements.
Source: Google News PE — Crime