Sat. Aug 16th, 2025
Peruvian President Grants Amnesty to Hundreds Accused of Atrocities

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Peru’s President Dina Boluarte has signed into law a contentious measure granting amnesty to soldiers, police officers, and civilian militia members facing prosecution for human rights abuses committed during the nation’s two-decade-long conflict with Maoist insurgents.

Boluarte enacted the legislation, which Congress passed in July, despite a directive from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to suspend its implementation pending a comprehensive review of its potential impact on victims.

The law is expected to benefit hundreds of members of the armed forces, police, and self-defense groups accused of crimes perpetrated between 1980 and 2000 during the internal conflict.

Furthermore, the legislation mandates the release of individuals over 70 years of age who are currently serving sentences for offenses related to the conflict.

During the period of internal strife, the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru rebel factions engaged in insurgencies, resulting in an estimated 70,000 fatalities and over 20,000 disappearances, according to Peru’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

Boluarte, who was elected in 2022 as Peru’s first female president, stated that her government was honoring those who fought against terrorism and in defense of democracy during the conflict.

Human rights organizations have strongly condemned the amnesty law. Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, described it as “a betrayal of Peruvian victims” that “undermines decades of efforts to ensure accountability for atrocities”.

Experts from the United Nations and Amnesty International had previously urged Boluarte to veto the bill, asserting that it contravenes Peru’s obligation to investigate and prosecute grave abuses, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and sexual violence.

UN experts warned that the amnesty could halt or overturn more than 600 pending trials and 156 convictions related to the conflict era.

The TRC’s findings indicated that state agents, particularly members of the armed forces, were responsible for 83% of documented cases of sexual violence during the conflict.

In the past year, Peru adopted a statute of limitations for crimes against humanity committed before 2002, effectively terminating hundreds of investigations into alleged crimes committed during the period of internal conflict.

This initiative previously benefited the late President Alberto Fujimori, who had been imprisoned for atrocities, including the massacre of civilians by the army, but was released from prison in 2023 on humanitarian grounds. He passed away in September 2024.

Separately, former President Martin Vizcarra was ordered on Wednesday to be held in preventative detention for five months in connection with allegations that he received $640,000 in bribes while serving as governor of Moquegua between 2011 and 2014.

Vizcarra is the fifth former president to be incarcerated as part of ongoing corruption investigations.

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