Christian Mamani was a musician. After rehearsing with his band, he joined the mobilization. He had barely shouted a slogan when he was hit by a bullet. For his parents, Isabel and Hugo, it is difficult to speak without the pain of this loss choking them. They attempt to hide their tears. Christian was just 22 years old, and was the breadwinner of his family. He was originally from Asángaro. His brother, René Mamani Hancco, is clear that justice must be found, not only for his brother, but for all those killed and wounded.
“And I ask for all of them, I ask for justice. I ask for justice for all. As I already told you, at the District Attorney, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, I ask that they advance with their work, because so far there is no type of diligence, there has not even been an act of verification of the facts. So far there is nothing. There is no progress. We ask the Public Prosecutor’s Office to continue with their investigation. But do they have the courage to immediately place the brothers who have been arrested in pretrial detention?”
Juliaca, Puno, Peru, January 9, 2023.
Interview by Ingrid Sanchez and photography by Manuel Ortiz from the series “Peru Resists,” a work of Peninsula 360 Press and Global Exchange.
René Mamani Hancco, brother of the victim Christian Mamani, speaks.