Peru's Congress, the country's parliament, passed a law on Thursday that establishes a statute of limitations for crimes against humanity committed before 2002. reported the Associated Press, quoted by BTA.
Even before its adoption, the bill drew criticism from human rights groups, who warned that it could encourage impunity and thwart the investigation of serious crimes.
A number of figures could benefit from the law, including former president Alberto Fujimori and former military personnel who have been charged and even convicted of crimes between 1980 and 2000 during the domestic armed conflict. a conflict that caused thousands of casualties.
According to the Peruvian prosecutor's office, the law will have a direct impact on 550 victims and 600 cases, including investigations and trials, which may be archived or terminated due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Fuhimori, who led Peru from 1990 to 2000, was convicted in 2009 on charges of human rights abuses. He was accused of personally planning the murders of 25 Peruvians during the government's war against communist rebels from the Sendero Luminoso organization.
The new law was actually proposed by the right-wing People's Power party, led by Fujimori's daughter Keiko. It states that “no one shall be prosecuted, convicted or punished for war crimes or crimes against humanity committed before July 1, 2002”
Peru's President Dina Bolwarte can sign the law or send it back to Congress for reconsideration. So far, Boluarte has not announced what her intentions are.
Some MPs who served in the army and navy during the armed internal conflict support the law.
The Institute for Democracy and Human Rights of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru said that “the law aims to limit the application of domestic justice by erasing any criminal liability due to the expiration of a certain time”.
In June, several human rights groups in Peru warned that if passed, the law would lead to impunity in all cases related to the armed conflict from 1980 to 2000, including the famous trial of former President Fujimori accused of the 1992 murder of six farmers executed by a secret military unit.
Earlier this year, former Peruvian intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos, who was a close associate of Fujimori, was sentenced to 19 years in prison in connection with the 1992 killings.
According to a truth commission, the victims were mostly indigenous people caught between the warring sides of the security forces and the rebels of the “Sendero Luminoso”. According to the commission, about 70 thousand people died in the conflict.