Peru: New Law Shielding the Repressive Forces of the Old State
Featured image: Reactionary soldiers stand guard on the streets of Lima in October 2024, during a strike of transport workers and shopkeepers. Source: AND
On June 24th, the Peruvian Congress approved a bill expanding the protection of military and police officers accused of crimes committed “in the line of duty”, transferring the jurisdiction from civil to the military-police court, with support in congress from among others Fuerza Popular, the Party of the newly elected Keiko Fujimori, A Nova Democracia (AND) reports.
There is a long history of a systematic policy of impunity in crimes committed by the old State repressive forces in Peru, with one historical example being the case of Sub-Lieutenant Thelmo Hurtado, in the Accomarca Massacre of 1985. AND reports: “The military patrol under his command murdered dozens of peasants in Ayacucho, including women and children, under the justification of fighting the People’s War led by the Communist Party of Peru (PCP). When the case was referred to the military court, most of the serious crimes were acquitted and the charges were reduced in accountability to charges such as ‘abuse of authority’.”
In 2024, Dina Boluarte and the Congress approved a law that pardoned crimes committed before 2002, benefiting Alberto Fujimori and hundreds of military personnel prosecuted for crimes against the people. With the new law, cases against active-duty military and police officers will also have their cases removed, as the law also affects ongoing and active proceedings.
AND highlights that “impunity is the rule when it comes to the repressive forces of Peru”. In 2025, in the capital Lima alone, hundreds of police officers were implicated in cases of physical, psychological, and sexual violence against women, of all cases opened against police officers for allegations such as murders of women and sexual violence. Only 31% result in conviction, with the vast majority being dismissed due to statute of limitations or withdrawal.
