The new law raises significant concerns regarding accountability for human rights abuses in Peru
Controversial Amnesty Law Signed by Peru's President Amidst Outcry from Human Rights Groups
Controversial Amnesty Law Signed by Peru's President Amidst Outcry from Human Rights Groups
Dina Boluarte enacts law granting amnesty to soldiers and police accused of war crimes during armed conflict
Peru's president, Dina Boluarte, has sparked widespread controversy by signing a law that provides amnesty to soldiers, police, and civilian militias facing trials for atrocities committed during the country's protracted armed conflict with Maoist rebels. The legislation, passed by Congress in July, comes in defiance of an order from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which had requested the suspension of the law while it assessed its implications for victims.
By enacting this measure, Boluarte is set to benefit hundreds of military personnel and police officers accused of crimes committed between 1980 and 2000. Notably, the law will require the release of individuals over the age of 70 who are currently serving sentences for such offenses. The conflict, which involved the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru rebel groups, resulted in an estimated 70,000 fatalities and over 20,000 enforced disappearances, as documented by Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
Boluarte, who made history as Peru's first female president when she took office in 2022, defended the law as a means to honor those who valiantly defended the nation against terrorism. However, her decision has been met with fierce backlash from human rights organizations. Juanita Goebertus, the Americas director for Human Rights Watch, labeled the law as “a betrayal of Peruvian victims” that sabotages years of efforts aimed at ensuring accountability for grievous human rights violations.
Concerns have also been raised by United Nations experts and Amnesty International, both of which urged Boluarte to veto the bill, arguing it undermines Peru's obligation to probe and prosecute severe abuses including extrajudicial killings, torture, and sexual violence. Experts from the UN revealed that the amnesty has the potential to obstruct or reverse over 600 pending trials and 156 existing convictions related to the conflict.
Previous investigations conducted by the TRC indicated that state agents were responsible for 83% of documented cases of sexual violence during the conflict. In a related development last year, Peru enacted a statute of limitations for crimes against humanity committed before 2002, effectively stalling numerous inquiries into atrocities that occurred during the civil unrest. This amendment has benefitted many, including the late President Alberto Fujimori, notorious for orchestrating human rights abuses, who was released under humanitarian grounds in 2023, eventually passing away in September 2024.
In other political news, former president Martin Vizcarra faces a five-month preventive detention order following accusations of accepting $640,000 in bribes while serving as the governor of Moquegua from 2011 to 2014, marking him as the fifth ex-president to be imprisoned amid corruption probes in Peru.
By enacting this measure, Boluarte is set to benefit hundreds of military personnel and police officers accused of crimes committed between 1980 and 2000. Notably, the law will require the release of individuals over the age of 70 who are currently serving sentences for such offenses. The conflict, which involved the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru rebel groups, resulted in an estimated 70,000 fatalities and over 20,000 enforced disappearances, as documented by Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
Boluarte, who made history as Peru's first female president when she took office in 2022, defended the law as a means to honor those who valiantly defended the nation against terrorism. However, her decision has been met with fierce backlash from human rights organizations. Juanita Goebertus, the Americas director for Human Rights Watch, labeled the law as “a betrayal of Peruvian victims” that sabotages years of efforts aimed at ensuring accountability for grievous human rights violations.
Concerns have also been raised by United Nations experts and Amnesty International, both of which urged Boluarte to veto the bill, arguing it undermines Peru's obligation to probe and prosecute severe abuses including extrajudicial killings, torture, and sexual violence. Experts from the UN revealed that the amnesty has the potential to obstruct or reverse over 600 pending trials and 156 existing convictions related to the conflict.
Previous investigations conducted by the TRC indicated that state agents were responsible for 83% of documented cases of sexual violence during the conflict. In a related development last year, Peru enacted a statute of limitations for crimes against humanity committed before 2002, effectively stalling numerous inquiries into atrocities that occurred during the civil unrest. This amendment has benefitted many, including the late President Alberto Fujimori, notorious for orchestrating human rights abuses, who was released under humanitarian grounds in 2023, eventually passing away in September 2024.
In other political news, former president Martin Vizcarra faces a five-month preventive detention order following accusations of accepting $640,000 in bribes while serving as the governor of Moquegua from 2011 to 2014, marking him as the fifth ex-president to be imprisoned amid corruption probes in Peru.
