Peruvians Protest Amnesty Law (fwd)
Luis Fierro (lfierro@arrow.eco.utexas.edu)
Wed, 5 Jul 1995 16:31:38 -0500
LIMA, Peru (AP) -- About 2,000 people protesting an amnesty law
that freed convicted human rights violators marched through
downtown Lima Friday night, shouting slogans against President
Alberto Fujimori.
The demonstrators, including many students and victims' family
members, were demanding that Congress rescind the amnesty law.
The law absolves police, soldiers and civilian officials of all
human right offenses committed by authorities during the last 15
years of war with leftist guerrillas.
The protesters marched from a downtown plaza to the Congress
building shouting ``Neither forget, nor forgive!'' and ``Fujimori,
killer!'' Others called out the names of places where major human
rights atrocities occurred.
Fujimori signed the measure into law June 15.
The government, which has faced few protests in recent years,
responded to the march Friday night with large numbers of police in
bullet-proof vests and riot gear, accompanied by police dogs.
Critics say the law is an embarrassment and said it freed
kidnappers, torturers and killers. The U.S. government said it was
concerned about the measure, which it said showed a lack of
commitment to human rights.
Family members of human rights victims and atrocity witnesses
said they feared reprisals from freed offenders, who were released
within days of the law's enactment, in marked contrast to the
usually slow-moving Peruvian justice system.
The law did not affect imprisoned guerrillas, but did cover
military officers accused of taking part in a counter-coup attempt
in November 1992, as well as officers jailed or exiled for
criticizing the military.