13 civilians killed in Pakistani Kashmir in 12 hours, says disaster authority
More than 50 people were also injured in the region, the authority said.
Tensions between India and Pakistan, both of who rule Kashmir in part, have escalated since India struck "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan on Wednesday.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Peru enacts amnesty for military and police accused of human rights abuses
Human rights groups and families of victims of Peru's two-decade internal armed conflict have expressed outrage after the country's government granted a blanket amnesty for all military and police officers accused of human rights crimes from 1980 to 2000. The Peruvian president, Dina Boluarte, signed the amnesty – which was approved by the country's congress last month – into law on Wednesday, to the applause of military top brass and ministers at Lima's government palace. The legislation prevents the criminal prosecution and conviction of former soldiers, police officers and self-defence committee fighters accused of serious human rights violations in the country's fight against leftist insurgents of the Mao-inspired Shining Path and other groups. Gisela Ortiz, the sister of one of the victims of a 1992 death squad massacre, said on X: 'A government that violates human rights enacts an amnesty law for those who support it: police and military personnel who murdered, disappeared and raped between 1980 and 2000.' Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, described the law as a betrayal of Peruvian victims. 'It undermines decades of efforts to ensure accountability for atrocities and weakens the country's rule of law even further,' she said. The brutal and protracted conflict was marked by atrocities committed by both sides. Between 1980 and 2000, nearly 70,000 people were killed and 20,000 disappeared, according to the findings of Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Shining Path fighters were responsible for about 54% of the deaths and the military for the rest. Boluarte said: 'With the enactment of this amnesty law, the Peruvian government and congress recognise the sacrifice of members of the armed forces, the police and self-defence groups in the fight against terrorism.' She added: 'We're giving them back the dignity that should never have been questioned.' There has been widespread concern about backsliding on human rights under Boluarte's government. In 2023, the former president Alberto Fujimori was released from prison, where he was serving a 25-year term for human rights crimes, despite a request from the regional inter-American court of human rights to delay his release. Last year, Peru's congress approved a bill establishing a statute of limitations for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed before 2003. The UN Human Rights Commission expressed alarm about the amnesty bill in July, warning Peru that it had a 'duty to investigate, prosecute, and punish serious human rights violations' and that 'international standards prohibit amnesties or pardons for such serious crimes'. Peruvian courts have secured more than 150 convictions, and an estimated 600 investigations are under way, according to the National Human Rights Coordinator, a coalition of Peruvian human rights organisations. 'This amnesty law is a law that consecrates impunity,' said Jo-Marie Burt, a Peru expert and senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America. 'Peru is now a pariah state from the point of view of international law. It puts Peru on the same level as Venezuela and Nicaragua for their outright disregard for the rulings of the inter-American court and of international law more generally.' She expressed disappointment at what she called a 'cynical move', especially as Peru 'for many years did make meaningful efforts to bring perpetrators of serious human rights violations to justice'.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Peru enacts amnesty for military personnel and police in Shining Path insurgency
Peru's president on Wednesday signed an amnesty bill into law, preventing military personnel and police officers from being prosecuted over alleged human rights abuses during the country's armed conflict decades ago. The new law came despite calls from the local and international community to strike it down. The war that raged between the Peruvian military and the Shining Path communist insurgency from 1980 to 2000 left an estimated 70,000 people dead, the majority of them in rural areas. President Dina Boluarte said during an official ceremony that Peru 'honors' those people who confronted the insurgency with 'courage and dedication." She added that military members and police officers have carried 'for years the burden of endless trials, unjust accusations, and a pain that has affected not only them but also their families.' The decision to enact the law drew immediate criticism from some rights groups. Human Rights Watch said in a statement that the law "grants impunity' to those involved in serious crimes. 'This law is quite simply a betrayal of Peruvian victims,' said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at the rights group. 'It undermines decades of efforts to ensure accountability for atrocities and weakens the country's rule of law even further.' The law was passed by Congress in July,. A coalition of human rights organizations said that it could wipe out 156 convictions and another 600 cases that are being prosecuted. Supporters of the law come from right-wing political parties that have historically defended the military, including the Popular Force party led by Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori. Other amnesty laws passed in 1995 in Peru shielded military and police personnel from prosecution for alleged human rights abuses during the country's internal conflict, including massacres, torture and forced disappearances. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights had at least twice previously declared amnesty laws in Peru invalid for violating the right to justice and breaching international human rights standards. A truth commission determined that the majority of the conflict's victims were Indigenous Peruvians caught up in clashes between security forces and Shining Path.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Peru's Boluarte pardons security forces for abuses during decades-long internal conflict
LIMA, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Peru President Dina Boluarte signed a law on Wednesday pardoning military and police officers accused of human rights abuses committed from 1980 to 2000 during a bitter fight with leftist rebels. The law, approved by Congress in July, was enacted despite a request from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which urged Peru's government not to pass the bill to ensure "victims can get justice." It also asked courts to not enforce the law. "With the enactment of this pardon law, the Peruvian government and Congress recognize the sacrifice of members of the armed forces, the police and self-defense groups in the fight against terrorism," Boluarte said in a speech. "We're giving them back the dignity that should never have been questioned." According to the national human rights coordinator, the pardon will effectively halt or overturn more than 600 pending trials and 156 sentences against security officials for abuses committed during clashes with insurgent groups like the Shining Path. The conflict resulted in an estimated 69,000 deaths and disappearances. Lawmakers from the right-wing Popular Force party, which backed the measure, argued the law was necessary to end hundreds of trials that have stalled for over two decades without a verdict. The party was founded by the late former president Alberto Fujimori, who died in September. Fujimori had been sentenced to 25 years in prison for human rights abuses committed during his presidency before receiving a pardon in 2023. The law comes as Boluarte faces an investigation for the deaths of protesters after she took office in late 2022. Her public approval rating has fallen to historic lows.
