Latest news with #Boluarte
Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Peru president issues amnesty for hundreds accused of atrocities
LIMA — Peru's president has signed a controversial new law pardoning soldiers, police and civilian militias on trial for atrocities during the country's two-decade armed conflict against Maoist rebels. Dina Boluarte 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-defence committees accused of crimes committed between 1980 and 2000. It will also mandate the release of those over 70 serving sentences for such offences. 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 the country's first female president, said the Peruvian government was paying tribute to the forces who — she said — fought against terrorism and in defence of democracy. Human rights organisations 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. — BBC
Barnama
a day ago
- Politics
- Barnama
Peru Enacts Security Forces Amnesty For Violations During Conflict
BUENOS AIRES, Aug 14 (Bernama-dpa) -- Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Wednesday signed into law an amnesty Bill shielding security forces from prosecution for crimes committed during the political violence and guerrilla warfare that rocked Peru between 1980 and 2000, reported German press agency (dpa). "With this historic amnesty, Peru honours its defenders and rejects any interference, internal or external," Boluarte said as she signed the controversial Bill, which Peru's Congress had passed in July. "We can't allow for history to be distorted, for perpetrators to pose as victims, for the true defenders of the country to be branded as enemies of the state," she said.
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Peru's President Signs Military Crimes Amnesty Bill Into Law
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Wednesday signed into law a controversial bill granting amnesty to military personnel, police and members of civilian self-defense units over a bloody 1980-2000 campaign against leftist Shining Path guerrillas. "Today, with the enactment of this amnesty law, the government is paying tribute to the military and self-defense groups that participated in the fight against terrorism," Boluarte said during a ceremony at the presidential palace. The law benefits uniformed personnel on trial but not yet convicted of crimes committed during fighting between state forces and the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru rebel groups, in which 70,000 people were killed, according to official data. About 20,000 people remain listed as "disappeared." It also provides for the release of anyone convicted who is now over the age of 70. "This law is quite simply a betrayal of Peruvian victims," said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "It undermines decades of efforts to ensure accountability for atrocities and weakens the country's rule of law even further." The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) had said Peru must "immediately suspend" approval of the law or -- if it was enacted -- refrain from applying it while the court looks into how the amnesty would affect victims' rights. A report by UN experts last month urged Boluarte's government to veto the law, arguing Peru "has a duty to investigate, prosecute and punish gross human rights violations and crimes under international law committed during the conflict." The new law could affect 156 cases that have been decided and more than 600 others still underway over crimes committed during that 20-year span, those experts said. Boluarte -- whose approval rating is at an all-time low and whose term ends in July 2026 -- has rejected all criticism of the amnesty. In August 2024, 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. It also helped 600 prosecuted military personnel. According to Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, there are more than 4,000 clandestine graves in the country as a result of two decades of political violence.
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Peru's Boluarte pardons security forces for abuses during decades-long internal conflict
FILE PHOTO: Peru's President Dina Boluarte speaks during a press conference with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (not pictured) at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/File photo LIMA (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. (Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Benjamín Mejías Valencia; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle, Kylie Madry and Alistair Bell)
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Peru's president signs military crimes amnesty bill into law
"Today, with the enactment of this amnesty law, the government is paying tribute to the military and self-defense groups that participated in the fight against terrorism," Boluarte said during a ceremony at the presidential palace. The law benefits uniformed personnel on trial but not yet convicted of crimes committed during fighting between state forces and the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru rebel groups, in which 70,000 people were killed, according to official data. About 20,000 people remain listed as "disappeared." It also provides for the release of anyone convicted who is now over the age of 70. "This law is quite simply a betrayal of Peruvian victims," said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "It undermines decades of efforts to ensure accountability for atrocities and weakens the country's rule of law even further." The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) had said Peru must "immediately suspend" approval of the law or -- if it was enacted -- refrain from applying it while the court looks into how the amnesty would affect victims' rights. A report by UN experts last month urged Boluarte's government to veto the law, arguing Peru "has a duty to investigate, prosecute and punish gross human rights violations and crimes under international law committed during the conflict." The new law could affect 156 cases that have been decided and more than 600 others still underway over crimes committed during that 20-year span, those experts said. Boluarte -- whose approval rating is at an all-time low and whose term ends in July 2026 -- has rejected all criticism of the amnesty. In August 2024, 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. It also helped 600 prosecuted military personnel.
