Political situation in Peru

Envoys furious: Peru violates international law

UN experts are furious at the law on amnesty for soldiers who committed international crimes, which has been voted through in the Peruvian Congress. This is reported by AFP.

“Peru has a mission to investigate, prosecute and punish for serious human rights violations and violations of international law committed during the conflict,” the three experts write in a statement.

The law means that the military and state actors who were accused or convicted of human rights violations in connection with the bloody campaign against leftist guerrillas in the country between 1980 and 2000 can be acquitted. In total, around 70,000 people died and 20,000 are still missing.

If the president does not veto it, it would mean “a clear violation of the state’s obligations under international law,” the experts write.

New law could free soldiers convicted of international crimes

Peru's Congress has signed a controversial law that grants amnesty to soldiers and police officers who committed international crimes during a violent campaign against leftist guerrillas from 1980 to 2000. This is reported by AFP.

The country's president is now being urged to veto the law.

Around 70,000 people were murdered during the 20-year conflict that targeted the rebel groups Shining Path and Tupac Amaru. It is still estimated that 20,000 people are missing.

The law was proposed by far-right politician Keiko Fujimori, whose father Alberto Fujimori was president of Peru during parts of the struggle in the 1990s. He was sentenced to prison but was released on parole in 2023.