MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Protest in Asunción leaves at least 31 arrested

Paraguayan Police repression was likened to that under former Dictator Alfredo Stroessner

Numerous arrests were reported Sunday in downtown Asunción amid protests staged by a citizens' group known as Generación Z Paraguay against an initiative to reform the Constitution and make former President Horacio Cartes eligible again.

Authorities confirmed at least 31 detentions (29 men and 2 women)and an unspecified number of people wounded during clashes. However, a smaller demonstration ensued to demand the release of those apprehended. Three of the detainees had valid warrants, and others had criminal records, it was also explained.

Police reported that several of those arrested were carrying clubs, slingshots, glass pellets, bolt cutters, knives, and blunt objects. One of the arrested women allegedly threatened to infect police officers and protesters with HIV.

Eight police officers (seven female and one male) were injured after protesters reportedly broke store windows and threw objects at law enforcement on Azara Avenue.

Asunción Police Director Juan Agüero confirmed that the downtown area was “completely cleared and normalized,” allowing commercial activities to resume. The detainees were handed over to the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Following the arrests, the Generación Z Paraguay movement gathered in front of the National Police Headquarters to demand the immediate release of the detained demonstrators. Lawyers accompanying the protesters reported that, initially, authorities had not granted permission to verify the condition of those arrested.

The overall goals of the protests were to condemn corruption and demand greater transparency and justice. What started peacefully escalated abruptly following a violent police crackdown stretching into the night, resulting in numerous arrests and injuries, according to local media.

Video footage available on social media showed the National Police, including cavalry and specialized units like the Grupo Lince motorcycle unit, aggressively pursuing and detaining civilians, even those walking on sidewalks.

Congressman Raúl Benítez reported that a woman was left with a broken leg after a police motorcycle crashed directly into a cornered group of protesters. Benítez condemned the actions, stating there was a clear “order to repress and carry out raids as in the dictatorship.”

The protesters, estimated to be around 400, shifted from their original target -the National Congress- toward the Pantheon of Heroes in downtown Asunción after being diverted by the Police.

The Ministry of the Interior is to explain the case in a press conference early Monday.