Clashes between anti-government protesters and riot police in the Peruvian capital, Lima, have left a 32-year-old man dead and more than 100 people injured, including many police officers.
The protests come less than a week after José Jerí was sworn in as the interim president following the impeachment of his predecessor in office, Dina Boluarte.
Wednesday's demonstrations were organised by mainly young Peruvians who demand that the country's political class address high levels of crime and corruption.
President Jerí claimed the protest had been infiltrated by criminals intent on causing chaos and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the protester's death.
He expressed regret over the death of Eduardo Ruiz Sáenz but did not provide details about the incident. Congress member Ruth Luque noted early reports suggest the hip hop artist died from a gunshot wound to the chest, with witnesses claiming he was shot by a man whom they believed to be a plainclothes police officer.
Jerí pledged an objective investigation into the incident while acknowledging the growing dissent against the political class that led to the protests.
Jerí, from the conservative Somos Perú party, took office last Friday after Boluarte was impeached on accusations of 'permanent moral incapacity'. As the seventh president in eight years, he now faces calls from thousands to step down amidst growing dissatisfaction over government corruption and rising crime, particularly a wave of extortions threatening public transport drivers.
Young activists voiced strong dissent on social platforms, criticizing Jerí's past support for the impeached president. The protests signal deep-rooted frustrations within a segment of the population tired of political instability and demands for a change in governance.
