Peruvian crime victims blast statute of limitations proposal

• They say the bill, if signed into law, would limit people's access to justice.

The big picture: Some activists point out the timing is particularly suspect, as the bill's amnesty period would include a 1992 massacre for which former President Alberto Fujimori is on trial.

• Fujimori, who was in power from 1990 to 2000, had already been found guilty of similar massacres and was serving a 25-year sentence — until he was granted a controversial pardon 16 years in and left prison in December.
• Last week, Fujimori announced he's considering running in the 2026 presidential elections with the Fuerza Popular party founded by his daughter (and which holds the congressional majority). It's unclear if, given his past sentences, he would be allowed to.

State of play: The bill would stop ongoing judicial cases against members of the Armed Forces, National Police or state officials for accusations of human rights violations occurring from 1980 through 2000.

• That period includes the Fujimori presidency and the 12-year fight against the insurgency of the Shining Path terrorist group, which was carried out with systematic abuses of civilians, mostly in Indigenous communities.
• The bill was passed by lawmakers even after the attorney general's office advised against it and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights had said it should not move forward.
• The measure now heads to President Dina Boluarte's desk. She has given no indication as to whether she will sign it into law.

The other side: The main proponent of the bill, lawmaker and former military admiral José Cueto, has said its only aim is "for police and military who fought against terrorism during that era to be treated like any other citizen" before the courts.

Between the lines: The bill's passage comes just days after a court found 10 soldiers guilty of the rape of Indigenous women and girls between 1984 and 1985.

• The verdict was lauded as a landmark in the Peruvian justice system, but if the amnesty bill is signed into law it might end up being the last of its kind.

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