PERU: HUMAN RIGHTS AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS THROUGH DECEMBER 1994

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. Peru is a country experiencing a profound economic and political transition. Of all the calamities a nation can suffer, Peru has endured a disproportionate share over the last 15 years, falling victim to a cycle of political instability and economic disorganization. More than half the population lives in extreme poverty. Fourteen years of political violence have claimed more than 20,000 victims, caused billions of dollars in material damage, and displaced more than half a million people. A cholera epidemic has killed thousands of Peruvians since 1991. Peru is one of the poorest and most violent countries in South America[1]. Since 1980, successive Peruvian governments have fought a brutal war against Sendero Luminoso, a violent self-proclaimed Marxist movement that seeks to overthrow the government. In the course of the conflict, both the guerrillas and the government security forces have committed serious human rights violations. Sendero has employed both targeted and indiscriminate methods of violence to terrorize the government and the population. Despite the capture of Sendero Luminoso leader Abimael Guzmán in September 1992, the guerrilla continues to carry out attacks, albeit at a significantly lower level[2]. The Peruvian government's response to the threat posed by Sendero has been equally brutal. Disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and torture have proliferated as the government security forces have used their broad powers to combat the insurgent movement. In April 1992, President Alberto Fujimori suspended Peru's Constitution in a "self-coup" that strengthened the Executive and the military at the expense of democratic institutions and human rights. Abuses perpetrated by the security forces, particularly arbitrary and generally prolonged detentions accompanied by torture or brutal treatment, have continued since Fujimori's coup. The population of Peru has been trapped between the guerrilla insurgency and the government counterinsurgency. The victims of abuses perpetrated by both sides in the conflict are numerous: elected and appointed government officials, members of political parties, trade unionists, human rights activists and lawyers; witnesses to human rights violations and family members of victims, members of non-governmental organizations, community leaders, members of civil defense patrols ("rondas campesinas"), academics and students, journalists, judges, prosecutors, and other judicial officials; family members of security force members, displaced persons and forced migrants, members of religious groups, health professionals, women, homosexuals, and residents of the emergency zones[3]. Amid this tragic recent history, there are some hopeful signs that the cycle of calamities in economic and political rights may have been broken. The economic situation has improved considerably since 1990. Inflation fell from 7,650% in 1990 to approximately 15% annually in 1994; economic growth went from -20% to +12%, international reserves increased from US$ -500 million to nearly US$ +6 billion, net capital flows increased from US$ -600 million to US$ +2 billion, and the country has successfully rejoined the international financial community. Despite these impressive economic achievements, more than half the population remains in extreme poverty and 70-80% of Peruvians are under- or unemployed[4]. Since 1992, political violence has decreased substantially, from nearly 4,000 deaths in 1992 to fewer than 1,700 in 1993; this downward trend continued at roughly the same pace in 1994. In addition, 5,000 guerrilla sympathizers surrendered under a limited amnesty law that expired on November 1, 1994, and approximately 1,500 leaders and militants have been captured[5]. Disappearances have declined dramatically, from around 200 in 1992 to fewer than 40 in 1994. Peruvians are returning to areas that were previously under guerrilla attack, and the number of provinces under a state of emergency has decreased considerably (from more than 80, out of a total of 185, to around 60). However, disturbing levels of violence persist, with the government showing a willingness to sacrifice citizens' right to due process and civil liberties (and to tolerate abuses committed against them by the security forces) in order to advance its political and military objectives. Despite the apparent improvements, Peruvians continue to suffer one of the worst situations of political violence in the hemisphere[6]. [1] World Bank, World Bank Development Report 1993 (Washington, D.C.: 1993), p. 238. Among South American nations, only Ecuador and Bolivia have a lower per capita GNP than Peru. Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch World Report 1992 (New York: 1991), p. 309. Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos, Peru 1990-1991: Report of the National Human Rights Coordinator (Lima: 1991) p 1-9. "Shining Path Remains Force to be Reckoned With in Peru," report by Lucia Newman, CNN (transcript #455-4, September 28, 1993). [2] U.S. State Department, "Peru," Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1995), p. 481. Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch World Report 1993 (New York, 1992), p. 138. [3] A more complete discussion of these at-risk groups is included in Section V. [4] Brooke, James, "Peru: On the Very Fast Track," New York Times (New York: January 31, 1995), p. D1. Bowen, Sally, "Peru Steps Out to Woo Investors," Financial Times (London: November 7, 1994), p. 23. Latin American Weekly Report (London: December 29, 1994), p. 592-595. Vogel, Thomas, "Peru's Big Rebound Sets Off Foreign Investors' Enthusiasm," Wall Street Journal (New York: September 15, 1994), p. C1. [5] Escobar, Gabriel, "Peru's Shining Path Maoists: Leaderless, Decimated, Divided," Washington Post (Washington, D.C.: November 21, 1994), p. A1. For earlier estimates, see "Toll in Peru's War with Rebels is Down By Half," New York Times (New York: January 7, 1994). "Hundreds of Peruvian Rebels Surrender under Leniency Law," United Press International (October 21, 1993), as it appears in the Nexis database. [6] Washington Office on Latin America, "After the Autogolpe: Human Rights in Peru and the U.S. Response" (Washington, D.C.: 1994), p. 8, 10.