One can’t speak of Dina Boluarte’s administration in Peru and the more than sixty killings committed by law enforcement at protests without mentioning current prime minister Alberto Otárola. The authoritarian character of the current government owes itself in large part to the influence of Otárola “the Butcher,” as he is now sometimes known.

The quick ascent of Otárola began on December 7, when President Pedro Castillo, faced with another impeachment attempt by Congress, tried, without success, to dissolve the institution. The armed forces and the police didn’t back him, and once the impeachment went through, Vice President Boluarte assumed the presidency that same day. Instead of distancing herself from Castillo’s opposition, the new president would cozy up to right-wing and ultraright elements in government.

Otárola was part of the first cabinet of ministers in Boluarte’s administration, assuming the role of minister of defense. As the commander of the Peruvian Armed Forces, Otárola was directly responsible for the Ayacucho massacre carried out by the military on December 15, in which ten people were shot and killed. Despite clear human rights violations, Otárola, far from raising doubt in Boluarte, grew closer to the president. The cynicism with which Otárola justified the abuses of the armed forces paired with Boluarte’s total unwillingness to recognize said abuses, casting doubt over her capacity to lead as president.