Peru's congress has overturned two controversial land laws that sparked a series of deadly protests earlier this month.

The decrees had been issued by Alan Garcia, the Peruvian president, in 2007 to give him powers to implement a free trade pact and outlined plans to regulate investment in the Peruvian Amazon.

However, indigenous groups said they were not consulted on the laws and that the decrees would affect their ancestral lands.

At least 34 people died in bloody clashes in northern Peru between police and indigenous Indians over the laws after police moved in to break up strikes and blockades begun in April by indigenous leaders.

Earlier reports had said as many as 60 people had been killed in the violence.

On Tuesday, Yehude Simon, the Peruvian prime minister, also said he would step down over the crisis.

Simon's decision followed the resignation of Carmen Vildoso, Peru's women's affairs minister, in protest against the government's crackdown on the demonstrations.

Asylum

The measure was approved 82-12 after a five-hour debate in Peru's single-chamber legislature, attended by about 30 Amazon native Indians of the Ashanika community.

In video

Deadly clashes rock Peru in fight over jungle land

The protesters had said the laws would make it easier for businesses to exploit their ancestral Amazon lands for oil, gas and other ventures.

The protests erupted into bloody clashes June 5 and 6 after police were sent in to clear blockaded roads around Bagua, 1000 km north of Lima.

At least 24 police and 10 protesters were killed in two days of
clashes.

Last week Nicaragua also granted political asylum to a protest leader charged with sedition.

Alberto Pizango, who arrived in Nicaragua on Wednesday, had accused the Peruvian government of "genocide" following Friday's clashes.