• In the June 2011 elections, Ollanta Humala, a former army colonel, won a narrow victory over Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori. Fujimori is serving a 25-year prison sentence for human rights violations during his first presidency.

Reports

Peru

  • Feb 9, 2012
    On Jan. 28 in Lima, Peru, 27 people were killed and at least five others critically injured by a fire that swept through Christ is Love, a privately run drug rehabilitation facility. Witnesses said patients started the fire in an effort to escape, after a caretaker refused to release them.Firemen on the scene reported terrible overcrowding -- up to 70 people, 18 to a room, in a facility equipped for 12. Who would blame them for trying to escape?
  • Oct 17, 2011

    Peru’s decision to restore voting rights to thousands of people with disabilities is an important step toward ensuring their full participation in society.  More than 23,000 people with mental and intellectual disabilities had been excluded from the voter registry for the 2011 presidential elections in April and June based on previous government policy. 

  • Sep 23, 2011
    Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the pre-sessional review of Peru.
  • Jun 16, 2011
    Arbitrarily releasing former President Alberto Fujimori from serving his full prison sentence for human rights crimes would be incompatible with Peru’s obligations under international law. Fujimori recently received medical treatment, and there have been some calls for a “humanitarian pardon.”
  • Apr 8, 2011
    Peru should conduct a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into the killing of 3 demonstrators and injuring of at least 31 others during confrontations with the police in Islay province.
  • Sep 10, 2010
    Peru should amend recently adopted presidential decrees that regulate the prosecution and trials of military and police personnel accused of committing human rights violations.
  • Jun 22, 2010
    Analysis of the binding interpretation of the crime of enforced disappearance handed down by the Peruvian Supreme Court in its Plenary Accord 9-2009/CJ-11.
  • Apr 6, 2010
    Peru should conduct a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into the killing of 6 civilians during a confrontation with the police in Chala, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • Sep 25, 2009
    Peruvian law enforcement authorities should take immediate action to investigate threats against the former president of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Dr. Salomón Lerner Febres, and ensure his safety.
  • Jun 24, 2009
    The Peruvian government’s decision this month to revoke the broadcast license of a local radio station could have a chilling effect on community broadcasting in Peru. The timing and circumstances of the revocation suggest that it may have been an act of censorship, or punishment, in response to coverage of anti-government protests on June 5, 2009.