UN warns of bill approved by Peruvian Congress on crimes against humanity

The United Nations Committee against Forced Disappearances expressed its concern on Wednesday about a bill in Peru’s Congress that seeks to establish the statute of limitations for crimes against humanity and war crimes and that awaits a second vote in Parliament.

The project “contravenes international standards and risks destroying progress made to combat impunity for enforced disappearances and guarantee victims’ access to justice, truth and reparation,” the committee of independent experts said in a statement.

The initiative establishes that no one may be prosecuted or convicted for crimes against humanity or war crimes committed before July 1, 2002.

Other international humanitarian organizations had already warned about the consequences of the approval of the project, which has already passed a first consultation in Parliament and awaits a second vote.

The Committee warned that, if approved, the initiative would violate the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Forced Disappearances ratified by Peru in 2012.

The project, proposed by the conservative benches of Fuerza Popular and Renovación Popular, would benefit several criminals, including soldiers who violated human rights, members of defunct terrorist groups and former high officials such as former president Alberto Fujimori.

Fuerza Popular is the political party of Fujimori’s daughter, Keiko Fujimori. The former president, who is free due to a pardon questioned in international bodies, is still facing legal proceedings for crimes considered to be crimes against humanity committed during his term in office (1990-2000).

The bill was approved in a first vote in Congress despite the fact that the Constitutional Court ruled in 2011 that crimes against humanity are imprescriptible.

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