Peru’s new amnesty law violates human rights law will spark anger and international appeal
Lima, Peru (AP) – A lawyer for human rights violations during armed conflict in Peru vowed Thursday to call on international agencies to defeat an amnesty law passed by the country’s parliament last night.
Congress passed the legislation late Wednesday for amnesty for military members and civilians who were prosecuted for serious human rights violations during the country’s armed conflict between 1980 and 2000.
A coalition of human rights groups said the new law could eliminate 156 convictions and another 600 cases under prosecution.
Supporters of the law come from right-wing parties that have historically defended the military, including the Popular Party led by Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori.
The law is now awaiting the action of President Dina Boruart, who can sign and return it to Congress with her comments, or turn it into law in two weeks without touching. Boluarte didn’t comment on the amnesty even before it was passed.
In recent years, many attempts have been made to protect the military and police from crimes committed during the conflict in the prosecution in Peru. But opponents of the amnesty in Peru have been successful before international institutions.
The amnesty law, passed in Peru in 1995, blocked military and police personnel from prosecuting human rights violations, including massacres, torture and enforced disappearances, committed during the conflict within the country.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has declared Peru’s amnesty law at least twice before, for its violation of judicial power and rights that violate international human rights standards.
“Not only are we going to the domestic arena to seek invalidity, but we have taken some action at the international level,” Gloria Cano, the director of the Pro Human Rights Association, said in a press conference on Thursday. She said they have warned the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and plans to go to the United Nations.
Human rights advocates believe that Peru’s membership in the American human rights system and its obligations required make the amnesty law unconstitutional.
Fernando Ropsiglioso, the BJP who supported the amnesty, said in June that in the armed conflict between 1980 and 2000, only a small number of cases had caused abuse against soldiers and police, leading to beliefs.
“Many of them (the accused) are no longer with us, others have grown up in silence and are subject to endless prosecution,” he said.
A truth committee believes that most of the victims of the conflict are Peruvians who are struggling between security forces and rebel groups. The committee calculated that about 70,000 people were killed in the conflict.
