Amnesty issued to hundreds accused of atrocities in Peru
Peruvian president signs controversial new law pardoning soldiers, police and civilian militias on trial for atrocities during two-decades of armed conflict against Maoist rebels
LIMA, Peru MNTV) – Peru’s President Dina Boluarte signed a controversial new law that pardons hundreds of soldiers who committed atrocities in the country during two decades of armed conflict with Maoist rebels.
The country enacted the measure that was passed by Congress in July, despite an order from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to suspend it pending a review of its impact on victims.
The law will benefit hundreds of members of the armed forces, police and self-defense committees accused of crimes committed between 1980 and 2000.
It will also mandate the release of those over 70 serving sentences for such offenses.
During the conflict, the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru rebel groups waged insurgencies in which an estimated 70,000 people were killed and more than 20,000 disappeared, according to Peru’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
Boluarte, elected in 2022 as the country’s first female president, said the Peruvian government was paying tribute to the forces who—she said—fought against terrorism and in defense of democracy.
Human rights organizations have condemned the law. Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, called it “a betrayal of Peruvian victims” that “undermines decades of efforts to ensure accountability for atrocities.”
United Nations experts and Amnesty International had urged Boluarte to veto the bill, saying that it violated Peru’s duty to investigate and prosecute grave abuses, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture and sexual violence.
UN experts said the amnesty could halt or overturn more than 600 pending trials and 156 convictions.
The TRC found that state agents, notably the armed forces, were responsible for 83% of documented sexual violence cases.
Last year, Peru adopted a statute of limitations for crimes against humanity committed before 2002, effectively shutting down hundreds of investigations into alleged crimes committed during the fighting.
The initiative benefited late president Alberto Fujimori, who was jailed for atrocities—including the massacre of civilians by the army—but released from prison in 2023 on humanitarian grounds. He died in September 2024.
Meanwhile, former president Martin Vizcarra was ordered on Wednesday to be held in preventative detention for five months over allegations he received $640,000 in bribes while governor of Moquegua between 2011 and 2014.
He is the fifth former president to be jailed in corruption investigations.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
