Justice Denied

One of the main problems brought about by the anti-terrorist legislation enacted in 1992 to combat the political violence unleashed by Sendero Luminoso (SL) and the Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru (MRTA) was that hundreds of innocent people were accused of terrorism and treason and spent many years unjustly detained under inhumane conditions. Under pressure from family members and denouncements by human rights organizations, the government had to yield and in September 1996 the Ad Hoc Pardons Commission began operating, with the aim of recommending the release of innocent prisoners. Many people left prison thanks to its work, but a considerable number remain behind bars because the government refused to extend its mandate and transferred its responsibility to the National Human Rights Council of the Ministry of Justice. For this reason, in this publication the Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos (Aprodeh) presents testimonies of innocent prisoners and of people who regained their freedom, either through pardon or acquittal, but who have still not been able to fully rebuild the lives that were taken from them. (Excerpt from the presentation).