Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is calling on the Peruvian government to follow through on its promise to implement in full the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) final report, as Peru marks the seventh anniversary of the landmark publication.
In its new report on religious freedom in Peru, published today, CSW has praised the Peruvian government for some positive steps over the past year, including the reinstatement of church and human rights groups as observers on the National Human Rights Council. However, the human rights organization remains concerned by the ongoing difficulties prosecutors and victims face in investigating human rights atrocities committed during the twenty years of internal violence.
The military and some government bodies, including the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense, continue to block requests for information on members of the Peruvian security forces implicated in human rights violations. Where the responsible officials have been identified and cases against them brought to court, cases have proceeded at a glacial pace. The court case against military officials accused of participating in the massacre of six young men pulled out of a church service in Callqui in August 1984, for example, is still languishing in the courts, awaiting a judgment, seven years after the court case began.
CSW’s National Director Stuart Windsor said, “The tragedy of the internal conflict in the 1980s and 1990s in Peru is compounded by the fact that over the past few years a number of victims have passed away without ever seeing justice. The blame for this lies squarely on Peruvian government officials who refuse to cooperate with investigations and have blocked and slowed court cases. We call on the Peruvian government to join us in celebrating the 7th anniversary of this landmark report and encourage them to mark it by taking concrete steps towards the pursuit of justice and an end to the culture of impunity.”
Notes to Editors:
- The TRC report was published in 2003 following the 20-year Peruvian civil war from 1980-2000 between the government and Maoist rebels including the Shining Path, in which an estimated 70,000 people died.
- CSW’s new report on Peru can be found on the CSW website at www.csw.org.uk
