Overview
- The February 4 shutdown halted most public transport and commerce, with marches to Tacna’s Civic Center and roadblocks reported in Tarata, including at kilometer 89 of the Tacna–Tarata route.
- The Ombudsman’s Office in Tacna said the protest was peaceful with no arrests or injuries, as police guarded key sites and used no lethal weapons.
- Protesters demand closing or relocating inmates from the Challapalca prison, citing alleged overcrowding of more than 200 inmates versus a design capacity near 150.
- Communities accuse the facility of discharging wastewater that affects Maure and question the prison’s land status, framing the issue as a threat to local security and livelihoods.
- The regional government says it sent four formal requests for a high-level dialogue to the prime minister without receiving a decisive reply, while the justice minister defends transfers as a security measure.