Written question asked by Colin Burgon (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 June 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 19 June 2009. It was answered by Chris Bryant (Labour) on Friday, 19 June 2009 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Peru: Ethnic Groups

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on recent incidents of violence in Peru which resulted in the deaths of 54 people from indigenous groups during an operation by the national police in that country.

Answer: Our embassy in Lima provided reports on protests in Peru's Amazon over land use legislation, which turned violent on 5 June 2009. EU heads of mission in Lima issued the following statement on 9 June 2009 following this tragic development:""The EU profoundly regrets the tragic events of recent days in the Peruvian Amazon, in particular the loss of human lives, including more than 20 members of the National Police of Peru and an as yet undetermined number of civilians. The EU sends its condolences to the government and people of Peru and to the families of all the victims. The EU calls for restraint to avoid further violence and for a peaceful and lasting solution to the situation through dialogue.""The Peruvian Ombudsman has given the number of confirmed deaths resulting from the violence on 5 and 6 June 2009 as 33. 23 of these were members of the police force and 10 were civilians, including four members of indigenous communities.

Secondary information