The Peruvian Congress on Friday declared Colombian President Gustavo Petro persona non grata in response to his statements in which he compared the Peruvian police to the Nazis, Latin American media outlet La Prensa Latina reported.

The motion, which asked the government to guarantee a ban on Petro's entry into the country, received 72 votes in favor and 29 against. Seven parliamentarians abstained.

In the motion to impose the ban, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte referred to some statements Petro made last week about the large-scale police deployment in historic downtown Lima in response to an anti-government demonstration.

"In Peru, (the police) are marching like Nazis against their own people, violating the American Convention on Human Rights," the Colombian president had previously stated.

He also criticized Peru's armed forces for suppressing the protests raging in the country.

Peru's Congressional Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by conservative legislator Maria del Carmen Alva, approved the proposal Tuesday.