The opposition party Juntos por el Perú announced this Monday that it will register a motion of censure in Congress against the Minister of the Interior, César Astudillo, following the murder of journalist and candidate for the regional government of Ánchash, in the northwest of the country, Susy Isabel Aponte Polo, who days before had reported a high-ranking police officer for allegedly ordering her death.
The spokesperson for the party, Ernesto Zunini, has stated on his social media that "Given the seriousness of what happened, from the Juntos por el Perú bench we will promote a motion of censure against the Minister of the Interior," understanding that the replacement of the until now head of the Criminal Investigation Directorate (DIRINCRI) of the Peruvian Police, Víctor Revoredo Farfán, "does not clarify responsibilities nor explain what went wrong."
Zunini has warned that the country "cannot get used to the idea that reporting a crime is equivalent to signing a death sentence." "Susy Aponte Polo reported threats against her life. Days later she was murdered. The Government must answer: what did it do to protect her?" the parliamentary spokesperson has raised.
In the same statement, he urged the rest of the political forces to repeal "swiftly (...) the laws that hinder the fight against crime, close the door to impunity, and advance in a true police reform" and has held the Executive of Keiko Fujimori responsible for "ignoring" such initiatives, something he has described as "unacceptable." "We do not need more political maneuvers. We need results. We will not turn our backs on the country," he emphasized.
The victim, popularly known as 'La China Polo', was shot dead this Saturday during a campaign event in the city of Caraz, in northern Peru. Nine days earlier, she had publicly accused the then head of Criminal Investigation of the Peruvian Police of ordering her execution.
"From three prisons, I have received calls warning me that this Mr. Víctor Revoredo Farfán has ordered an attack against me. I have already filed the complaint with the relevant entities," she declared.
This Monday, the Judiciary has issued provisional imprisonment for 15 days for the two main suspects in the murder: Luis Obispo Díaz and Ronald José Toro Ardila, investigated as alleged hitmen. The former is identified as the supposed material author of the shots that ended the life of 'La China Polo' and the latter as the one who would have coordinated the attack from Lima.