September 2023
Country of Origin Information

Peru Country Focus

Peru
Country Focus

September 2023

Manuscript completed in September 2023
Neither the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) nor any person acting on behalf of the
EUAA is responsible for the use that might be made of the information contained within thispublication.
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2023
PDF

ISBN 978-92-9403-488-5 doi: 10.2847/565543 BZ-07-23-328-EN-N© European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), 2023
Cover photo/illustration: Andronov, L., The Legislative Palace of Peru with Statue of Simón
Bolívar, © Adobe Stock, 2021, url
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. For any use or reproductionof photos or other material that is not under the EUAA copyright, permission must be sought
directly from the copyright holders.

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

Acknowledgements
This report was drafted by COI experts from the EUAA, Country of Origin Information Sector.
COI experts from the following national asylum and migration departments reviewed thisreport:•Sweden, Unit for Migration Analysis, Swedish Migration Agency

Furthermore, this report was reviewed by an external expert, Tamara Taraciuk Broner. Ms.
Taraciuk Broner is director of the Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program at the Inter-American
Dialogue. Before joining the Dialogue, she was the acting Americas director at Human Rights
Watch for 15 years. Ms. Broner has carried out extensive field research throughout Latin
America, documenting human rights violations and has an extensive research and publication
record on issues such as judicial independence, freedom of speech, discrimination, andharassment of civil society organisations in the region.
The review carried out by the mentioned departments and expert contributes to the overall
quality of the report, but does not necessarily imply their formal endorsement of the final
report, which is the full responsibility of EUAA.

3

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMContents
Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................ 3Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Glossary and abbreviations ........................................................................................................... 7
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 10
Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Defining the terms of reference ................................................................................. 12
Collecting information ................................................................................................... 12
Quality control ..................................................................................................................13
Structure and use of the report .......................................................................................................13
Map .................................................................................................................................................14
1.

Overview ............................................................................................................................15
1.1. Economy ...................................................................................................................................... 15
1.2. Government ................................................................................................................................ 16
1.3. Judicial system ........................................................................................................................... 18
1.3.1. Structure ................................................................................................................ 18
1.3.2. Effectiveness ........................................................................................................ 19
1.3.3. Witness protection program ........................................................................... 20
1.4. State security forces ................................................................................................................ 22
1.4.1. Effectiveness ....................................................................................................... 25
1.5. Political developments ............................................................................................................ 26

2.

Demonstrations ................................................................................................................ 29
2.1. Treatment by authorities ..........................................................................................................312.2. Investigations into abuses ......................................................................................................34

3.

Criminality ......................................................................................................................... 36
3.1. Homicides .................................................................................................................................... 37
3.2. Human trafficking ..................................................................................................................... 38
3.3. Kidnapping ................................................................................................................................. 39
3.4. Extortion ...................................................................................................................................... 40
3.5. Armed and criminal groups ....................................................................................................43

4

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

3.5.1. Criminal groups ...................................................................................................43
3.5.2. Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and Militarized Communist Party of
Peru (MPCP, Militarizado Partido Comunista del Perú) ....................................... 47
3.6. State response .......................................................................................................................... 48
4.

Domestic violence and gender-based violence ............................................................ 50
4.1. Prevalence and social attitudes ........................................................................................... 50
4.2. Legislation and state protection ........................................................................................... 50
4.2.1. Reporting and seeking assistance ................................................................. 51
4.2.2. State protection ................................................................................................... 51
4.2.3. Hotlines and shelters ........................................................................................ 53

5.

Situation of LGBTI people ............................................................................................... 54

Annex 1: Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 57
Annex 2: Terms of Reference ...................................................................................................... 78

5

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Disclaimer
This report was written according to the EUAA COI Report Methodology (2023). The report isbased on carefully selected sources of information. All sources used are referenced.
The information contained in this report has been researched, evaluated and analysed withutmost care within a limited timeframe. However, this document does not claim to be
exhaustive. If a particular event, person or organisation is not mentioned in the report, thisdoes not mean that the event has not taken place or that the person or organisation does notexist. Any event taking place after the finalisation of this report is not included. Moreinformation on the reference period for this report can be found in the introduction.
Furthermore, this report is not conclusive as to the determination or merit of any particularapplication for international protection. Terminology used should not be regarded asindicative of a particular legal position.
‘Refugee’, ‘risk’ and similar terminology are used as generic terminology and not in the legal
sense as applied in the EU Asylum Acquis, the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967
Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees.
Neither EUAA nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which
may be made of the information contained in this report.
On 19 January 2022, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) became the European
Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). All references to EASO, EASO products and bodies should
be understood as references to the EUAA.
The drafting of this report was finalised on 19 September 2023. More information on thereference period for this report can be found in the Methodology section of the Introduction.

6

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

Glossary and abbreviations
Term

DefinitionAI

Amnesty International

CAD

Comités de Autodefensa (Self-defence Committees)

CJNG

Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (Jalisco Cartel New Generation)

CNDDHH

Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos (National
Coordinator for Human Rights)

COI

Country of origin information

CVR

Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación (Truth and Reconciliation
Commission)

EU

European Union

EU+ countries

Member States of the European Union and associated countries

EUAA

European Union Agency for Asylum

EUR

Euros

FAP

Fuerza Aérea del Peru (Air Force of Perú)FARC dissidents

Disidencias de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia(Dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)

FF. AA.

Fuerzas Armadas del Perú (Armed Forces of Peru)

FISTRAPFiscalía Especializada en Trata de Personas (Special Prosecutor
for Human Trafficking)

HRW

Human Rights Watch

7

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

TermDefinition

IACHR

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

INEI

Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática (National Institutefor Statistics and Informatics)

IPE

Instituto Peruano de Economía (Peruvian Institute of Economy)

JNE

Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (National Elections Committee)

JNJ

Junta Nacional de Justicia (Justice National Commission)

LGBTI

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex persons

MPCP

Militarizado Partido Comunista del Perú (Militarized Communist
Party of Peru)

MGP

Marina de Guerra del Perú (Peruvian Navy)

MOVADEF

Movimiento por Amnistía y Derechos Fundamentales (Movement
for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights)

NGO

Non-governmental organisation

PNP

Policía Nacional del Perú (National Police of Peru)

Péstamos gota agota

Loan shark

SUNATSuperintendencia Nacional de Administración Tributaria (National
Superintendence of Customs and Tax Administration)

Secuestros al paso

Express kidnappings

UNODC

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

8

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

Term

Definition

VRAEM

Valles de los Ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro (Valley of the
Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers)

USDOS

United States Department of StateWJPWorld Justice Project9

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Introduction
Peru has been experiencing successive political crises, culminating in the December 2022
removal of President Pedro Castillo and his replacement by interim President Dina Boluarte,1
which triggered nationwide large-scale protests. Clashes between security forces andprotesters caused more than 60 deaths and over a thousand injuries, and human rightorganisations reported the use of excessive force by security forces.2 The country is
characterised by lack of trust in the government, a ‘highly fragmented’ political class, andweak political parties. Corruption in Peru is pervasive at all levels of government, including at
the highest levels and in the justice system.3 The justice system has serious limitations due toinefficiencies, corruption, and staff shortages.4 Security forces are hampered by resource
challenges.5 A number of criminal organisations operate in Peru, including transnational crime
syndicates that engage mostly in extortion, sex trafficking, kidnapping, and contract killings.6
Indigenous leaders, environmental activists, and human rights defenders have also been killed
by criminals linked to drug trafficking and illegal resource extraction.7 The highest number ofrecorded attacks against journalists ever was in 2022.8 Peru’s national economy has
experienced consistent growth since 1993. However, the recent crisis is threatening its
performance and stability.9 Although Peru has a low unemployment rate, the majority of
employment remains informal. Poverty rates increased during 2021-2022, with rural areas
having almost double the poverty rate of urban areas, and extreme poverty being even morestratified.10
In relation to Peruvian claims for international protection in the EU+, between January andJune 2023, Peruvians lodged 12 000 applications for asylum in the EU+ making them thetwelfth largest group of applicants for international protection. The level of Peruvian
applications doubled compared to the first half of 2022. Indeed, during this period, Peruvian
applications increased from 1 400 in January to 2 300 applications in June, which forms partof a longer-term trend of increased applications going back five years only interrupted by
COVID-19. During the first half of 2023, the majority of applications were lodged in Spain(65%) and consisted of first-time applications 99 %.11

International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; Freedom House, Freedom in
the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
2International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; AI, Lethal racism:
Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forces by Peru’s security forces, 2023, url
3
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and
Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url
4
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url
5Peru, Bases para el fortalecimiento y la modernización de la Policía Nacional del Perú, 2021, url
6
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
7
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 13; Freedom House,
Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
8Peru, Defensoría del Pueblo, Informe defensorial No. 0001-2023-DP/APCSG, 21 July 2023, url
9Castilla, Luis Miguel, in The Dialogue, HYBRID EVENT – Peru at the Crossroads: Political Crisis, Human Rights
Abuses, and What’s Next?, 24 May 2023, url
10Peru, Nota de prensa: Pobreza monetaria afectó al 27,5% de la población del país en el año 2022, 11 May 2023,
url
11
Analysis by European Union Agency for Asylum
1

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PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

The EU+ recognition rate for international protection was around 4 % during the first half of2023, and 5 % in 2022. At the end of June 2023, there were 20 000 Peruvian cases awaiting
first instance decisions which represents a significant 170 % increase compared to the end ofJune 2022.12

12

Analysis by European Union Agency for Asylum.

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Methodology
Defining the terms of reference
The terms of reference for this report were developed in response to a survey of informationneeds gathered from the EUAA-IGC (Intergovernmental-Consultations on Migration, Asylum
and Refugees)13 Country of Origin Information (COI) Specialist Network on Latin America,
which is comprised of COI experts from across IGC participating States and EU+ countries14
national asylum authorities. EUAA then analysed the results and created the terms ofreference.
The reference period for the report is from January 2021 to 19 September 2023 but includes
background information on trends and context where needed. The terms of reference can befound in Annex 2: Terms of Reference.

Collecting information
Public sources
The information gathered is a result of research using public, specialised paper-based andelectronic sources, as well as oral source interviews from 15 July to 6 September 2023. Some
additional information was added during the finalisation of this report in response to feedback
received during the quality control process, until 19 September 2023.
This report has relied upon mainly Spanish-language sources in order to provide added value
to the available COI. The expert drafter who wrote this report did so in English using Spanish
sources. Legislation only available in Spanish was informally translated from Spanish into
English by the expert drafter. Due to the volume of Spanish sources used, for the citation of allthese non-English sources, this report does not follow the EUAA Writing and Referencing
Guide signalling in the citation each time a source is translated. This is for maximal readability
and efficiency. In accordance with EUAA COI methodology, a range of different publisheddocumentary sources have been consulted on relevant topics for this report. These include:•

COI reports by governments;•

Information from civil society, advocacy groups, and NGOs;•

Human rights reports by governments and NGOs;•

Reports produced by various bodies of the United Nations;•

Peruvian government publications, including public statements, laws, policies, media
outlets, and reports to the UN;•

Peru-based media and social media;•

Academic publications and think tank reports; andIGC participating States are: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the UnitedStates14
EU+ includes EU Member States, Norway and Switzerland
13

12

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS•

Reports of organisations specialised in specific topics, such as armed and criminalgroups.

All sources are referenced in the Annex 1: Bibliography.
Oral sources
In addition to using publicly available documentary sources, five oral sources wereinterviewed for this report; however, two agreed to be cited. The types of oral sources
contacted include: scholars, journalists, civil society organisations, and political analysts. All
sources were assessed for their background, publication history, reputability, seriousness of
their research, and recognition of their credentials by peers, the media, and international
bodies. Oral sources who were interviewed and agreed to be cited in this report are describedin the Annex 1: Bibliography. All interviews were conducted in Spanish.

Quality control
This report was produced in line with the EUAA COI Report Methodology (2023) and the
EUAA COI Writing and Referencing Guide (2023). To ensure that this report is aligned with the
EUAA COI Report Methodology, this report was peer-reviewed by COI specialists from
Sweden. Additionally, external expert Tamara Taraciuk Broner was also a reviewer. All thecomments from reviewers were duly considered and were implemented to the extent
possible, under time constraints. The peer reviewers read both Spanish and English and wereable to assess the quality of sources used.

Structure and use of the report
This report is intended to capture a general overview of the main issues relevant tointernational protection in the assessment of claims from Peru. The report is structured tofacilitate the consideration and logical assessment of claims for international protection:
Chapter 1: Provides an overview of the economy, government, judicial structures, state
security forces, and recent political developments in the country.
Chapter 2: Covers the situation of demonstrations, especially related to the recent politicalcrisis in Peru, including treatment of protesters by authorities and investigations into abuses.
Chapter 3: Provides an overview of the situation of criminality, including main types, key
criminal group, and state response.
Chapter 4: Covers the situation of domestic violence, including state protection.
Chapter 5: Provides information on the situation of LGBTIQ people.

13

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Map

Map 1. Peru15

Map 1: UN, Peru Profile Map No. 3838 Rev.4, May 2011, url

15

14

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

1.

Overview

Peru (República del Peru) is a presidential republic16 divided into 24 departments(departamentos), 196 provinces (provincias), and 1 874 districts (distritos).17 The population
estimate for 2023 is 32 440 172, with around one third of the population residing alongside
the Pacific coast, particularly in Lima (11.2 million), Arequipa (959 000), and Trujillo (904 000).18
In 2017, the major ethnic groups included ‘Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and White) 60.2
percent, Amerindian 25.8 percent, White 5.9 percent, African descent 3.6 percent, [and] other(including Chinese and Japanese descent) 1.2 percent.’19 The official languages are Spanish(spoken by 82.9 percent of the population), Quechua (13.6 percent), and Aymara (1.6 percent),in addition to other native languages, including a ‘large number of minor Amazonian
languages.’20

1.1.

EconomyEconomic policy and the growth of the economy have been consistent since 1993 despite
political upheavals.21 However, recent political crises are impacting economic performanceand stability.22 The Peruvian economy experienced a rapid recovery after the pandemic,
growing 2.2 percent in 2022 and an estimated 1.1 percent in 2023.23 Small businesses makeup 98 percent of the total number of businesses, and 89 percent of large firms are in majorurban centres in the Pacific coast.24 The National Institute for Statistics and Informatics (INEI,
Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática) indicated that the unemployment rate for the
first trimester of 2023 was 5.9 percent,25 while the World Bank reported rates of 3.7 percent
for 2022, 5.1 percent for 2021, and 7.2 percent for 2020.26 INEI also reported that thepercentage of informal employment for the first trimester of 2023 was 76.8 percent.27 The
overall poverty rate for 2022, according to INEI, was 27.5 percent, an increase of 1.6 percent
from 2021.28 For 2022, rural areas registered poverty rates of 41.1 percent and urban areas,

US, CIA, The World Factbook: Peru, 23 August 2023, url
Peru, INEI, División política y administrativa al 31 de diciembre del 2019, n.d., url, p. 1
18
US, CIA, The World Factbook: Peru, 23 August 2023, url
19
US, CIA, The World Factbook: Peru, 23 August 2023, url
20
US, CIA, The World Factbook: Peru, 23 August 2023, url
21
Castilla, Luis Miguel, in The Dialogue, HYBRID EVENT – Peru at the Crossroads: Political Crisis, Human Rights
Abuses, and What’s Next?, 24 May 2023, url; DW, Crisis política en Perú: ¿crecimiento económico amenazado?, 14
December 2022, url
22
Castilla, Luis Miguel, in The Dialogue, HYBRID EVENT – Peru at the Crossroads: Political Crisis, Human Rights
Abuses, and What’s Next?, 24 May 2023, url; DW, Crisis política en Perú: ¿crecimiento económico amenazado?, 14
December 2022, url
23
Bloomberg, Peru Struggles to Revive Its Days as Latin America’s Top Economy, 29 August 2023, url; Reuters,
Peru slashes growth outlook amid falling copper investment, 29 August 2023, url
24
The World Bank, Peru: Systematic Country Diagnostic Update, 2022, url
25
Swissinfo.ch, El desempleo disminuyó hasta el 5,9 % en Perú en el primer trimestre de 2023, 15 August 2023, url
26
The World Bank, Desempleo, total (% de la población activa total) (estimación modelado OIT) – Peru, n.d., url
27
Swissinfo.ch, El desempleo disminuyó hasta el 5,9 % en Perú en el primer trimestre de 2023, 15 August 2023, url
28
Peru, Nota de prensa: Pobreza monetaria afectó al 27,5% de la población del país en el año 2022, 11 May 2023,
url, p. 1
16
17

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

24.1 percent.29 The overall extreme poverty rate for 2022 was 5 percent, an increase of 0.9
percent from 2021.30 For 2022, extreme poverty rates for rural areas and urban areas were
14.6 and 2.6 percent, respectively.31

1.2.

Government

The branches of government are the executive, which consists of the President, as the Headof the State, and its ministers;32 legislative, consisting of an unicameral Congress that adopts
laws and legislative resolutions;33 and the judiciary, responsible for the administration ofjustice.34 Peru is a decentralised country with three levels of government: national, governedby the three branches of the government; regional, governed by departmental governments;and local, governed by districts.35 The President is elected by absolute majority for a five-year
term, and the 130 members of Congress are elected by open list proportional representation
for a five-year term.36 Re-election, either for President or the Congress, is not permitted.37
In July 2021, Pedro Castillo, from the left-wing party Free Peru (Perú Libre), was declared
President for the period 2021-2026.38 Despite fraud allegations and legal challenges launchedby Popular Force (Fuerza Popular)39, the presidential elections were regarded as free and fairby observers.40 Castillo was removed from office in December 2022 and replaced by Dina
Boluarte, then Vice-President, who was appointed President by Congress.41 See 1.5 Politicaldevelopments. Peru’s political class is considered by sources as ‘highly fragmented’ which, in
addition to high-profile corruption scandals, has led to lack of trust in the government andrepeated political turmoil.42 Political parties are generally ‘weak’ with members of Congressappearing more guided by personal agendas and interests rather than the country’s needs.43
In an interview with EUAA, the Executive Director of Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), a
Peru, Nota de prensa: Pobreza monetaria afectó al 27,5% de la población del país en el año 2022, 11 May 2023,
url, p. 1
30Peru, Nota de prensa: Pobreza monetaria afectó al 27,5% de la población del país en el año 2022, 11 May 2023,
url, p. 1
31Peru, Nota de prensa: Pobreza monetaria afectó al 27,5% de la población del país en el año 2022, 11 May 2023,
url, pp. 1-2
32Peru, Conoce cuál es la organización del Estado peruano, 30 July 2023, url
33Peru, Congreso de la República, Congreso de la República, n.d., url
34Peru, Conoce cuál es la organización del Estado peruano, 30 July 2023, url
35Peru, Conoce cuál es la organización del Estado peruano, 30 July 2023, url
36
IFES, Election Guide: Republic of Peru, n.d., url
37
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
38International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; Freedom House, Freedom
in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
39
Fuerza Popular is a right-wing political party led by Keiko Fujimori. DW, Perú: fujimorismo y marxismo ganan
Presidencia del Congreso, 26 July 2023, url
40
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 11; OAS, IACHR,
Situación de Derechos Humanos en Perú en el contexto de las protestas sociales, url, paras. 43-52
41
International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; Freedom House, Freedom
in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
42
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; Diario UChile, Elecciones en Perú: fragmentación
política total ad portas del Bicentenario, 11 April 2021, url; HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and
Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 18; DPLF, interview with EUAA, 6 September 2023
43
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 18; IPE, De nuevo,
crisis política (no importa cuando lo leas), 10 February 2022, url; Ojo Público, “El que se vayan todos refuerza elsistema que reproduce a los políticos que odiamos”, 25 September 2022, url
29

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PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

regional organisation that promotes the rule of law in Latin America, indicated that, ‘in recent
years, traditional political parties almost disappeared in Peru, and others emerged, generally
led by provincial leaders (from the interior of the country) with certain economic resources orpolitical strength in their regions, different ideologies, and an interest in participating in
national policy for interests that are not always clear or with dubious ends (e.g., low quality
education, informal transportation, illegal mining, etc.).’44 According to the same source, thesenew parties entered into alliances with traditional forces like Keiko Fujimori’s to coopt
institutions and obtain benefits.45
Corruption in Peru is pervasive at all levels of government, including at the highest levels andin the justice system.46 A number of senior political figures have been involved in corruption
scandals and illicit deals with Odebrecht,47 a Brazilian construction firm involved in corruption
scandals in Latin American countries, including Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,
and Argentina, consisting of paying bribes to politicians and political parties to secure lucrative
contracts.48 All Peruvian presidents, since 1990, have been investigated on corruption
charges.49 At least three ex-presidents of Peru are being investigated for receiving bribes from
Odebrecht.50 Castillo, his wife, and several of his ministers are also being investigated forcorruption crimes including influence peddling, collusion, and the fraudulent award of public
contracts.51 An investigation by Ojo Público, a Peruvian news source, indicated that all
governors elected in 2018 faced investigations by the Public Ministry for different crimes, andthat 21 of them faced investigations for corruption and embezzlement.52
The government respected the rights of freedom of internal movement,53 foreign travel,emigration, and repatriation.54 However, as of 2023 reporting, restrictions to the freedom of
movement are in place in the VRAEM (Valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers) area
due to the presence of irregular actors.55

DPLF, interview with EUAA, 6 September 2023
DPLF, interview with EUAA, 6 September 2023
46
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, pp. 11-12; Freedom House,
Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
47
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
48Euronews, What is the Odebrecht corruption scandal in Latin America, and who is implicated?, 18 April 2019, url;
AP, Colombian prosecutors accuse former presidential candidate of taking money from Odebrecht, 10 July 2023,
url
49
Clarín, De la corrupción a los golpes de Estado: uno a uno, todos los presidentes de Perú desde los ‘90 y qué
pasó con ellos, 7 December 2022, url; Público, Perú, el país de los presidentes encarcelados y procesados, 23
April 2023, url; Corporación Latinobarómetro, Informe 2023, url, p. 950
Reuters, Factbox: Peru's presidents and years of political turmoil, 7 December 2022, url; Expansión, 9expresidentes de Perú que han sido destituidos o acusados de corrupción, 8 December 2022, url
51
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; Infobae, Pedro Castillo: las ocho investigaciones
en su contra que le valieron a la Fiscalía para lograr su prisión preventiva, 16 December 2022, url
52
Ojo Público, Corrupción descentralizada: 84% de gobernadores regionales son investigados, 20 September
2022, url
53
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 9
54
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 955
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 9. See also: Peru,
Decreto Supremo No. 088-2023-PCM, 2 August 2023, url; InSight Crime, Shining Path, 23 May 2021, url
44

45

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

1.3.

Judicial system

1.3.1.

Structure

The Peruvian judiciary is structured as follows:1.

Unlicenced Justices of Peace (Juzgados de Paz No Letrados) and Licenced Justices ofPeace (Juzgados de Paz Letrados): Investigate cases involving minor offenses.56
1.1.

Unlicenced Justices of Peace: Located in rural towns, hamlets, and small districts
with low judicial backlog. They are elected by the inhabitants of the locality andratified by Superior Courts of Justice.57

1.2. Licenced Justices of Peace: Hear cases involving one or more localities in certain
rural and urban areas and hear appeals on rulings made by Unlicensed Justicesof Peace. They are subordinated to Superior Courts of Justice.58
2. Specialised Courts (Juzgados Especializados) and Mixed Courts (Juzgados Mixtos):
They have provincial jurisdiction and are responsible for investigating cases in ordinary
proceedings related to penal, administrative, labour, family, customs, and tax law.59
These courts also investigate and rule on cases in summary or specialised
proceedings and hear appeals on rulings made by Licensed Justices of Peace.60 They
are subordinated to Superior Courts of Justice.61
2.1. Specialised Courts: They hear cases involving only one of the following areas oflaw: penal, administrative, labour, family, customs, or tax.62
2.2. Mixed Courts: They are in places where there are no Specialised Courts andinvestigate cases involving two or more of these areas of law.63
3. Superior Courts of Justice (Cortes Superiores de Justicia): They carry out trials andissue rulings and sentences on cases deemed by Specialised and Mixed Courts as
having merit. These courts also hear appeals on cases ruled by Specialised and Mixed
Courts.64
4. Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia): It is the highest court in the
judicial system and hears appeals on cases ruled by Superior Courts of Justice.65
The Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional) is the highest court on constitutional issues
and rules on issues regarding unconstitutionality, habeas corpus, habeas data, and writ ofamparo [protection].66 The Public Ministry (Ministerio Público), also known as the General
Attorney Office (Fiscalía de la Nación), is an autonomous entity responsible for investigating

Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Conócenos / Historia, n.d., url
Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Conócenos / Historia, n.d., url
58Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Conócenos / Historia, n.d., url
59Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Conócenos / Historia, n.d., url
60
Peru, Conócenos / Definiciones, n.d., url
61Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Conócenos / Historia, n.d., url
62Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Conócenos / Historia, n.d., url
63Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Conócenos / Historia, n.d., url
64Peru, Conócenos / Definiciones, n.d., url
65Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Conócenos / Historia, n.d., url; Peru, Conócenos / Definiciones, n.d., url
66Peru, Tribunal Constitucional: Información institucional, n.d., url
56
57

18

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

criminal offenses and providing protection to victims of crime.67 The Office of the
Ombudsperson (Defensoría del Pueblo) is an autonomous entity that defends and promotes
the rights of citizens and communities, and oversees the fulfilment of obligations by thestate.68

1.3.2.

Effectiveness

The judiciary is considered one of the most corrupt institutions in Peru.69 Constitutional
guarantees of due process are not consistent across the judicial system.70 Pretrial detention iscommon,71 with judges ordering it as a rule rather than the exception.72 In some instances, thelength of pretrial detention reached the length of the sentence that the person would haveobtained for the alleged crime,73 although time spent under pretrial detention was factored
into the final sentence.74
According to DPLF’s Executive Director, the judicial system in Peru is not collapsed, but it is asystem with serious limitations to effectively respond to current challenges, including crimeand corruption.75 Delays in the judicial system are usually due to inefficiency, corruption, staff
shortages, and backlogs.76 Judges are also frequently influenced or corrupted by persons
outside the judiciary system.77 Public defenders are ‘poorly trained’, and translation services
are rarely provided to defendants who do not speak Spanish.78 According to the 2022
Bertelsmann Stiftung annual report on Peru, ‘[m]ost people are not able to access the judicial
system, which is seen as expensive, unreliable and corrupt, and try to resolve their disputes
informally. Arbitration outside the judicial system has emerged as a substitute mechanism forresolving contractual disputes, especially in the private sector and in cases involving
chambers of commerce, although often with limited success.’79 The World Justice Project’s(WJP) Rule of Law Index ranked Peru 0.38 for the impartiality of its justice system, below theregional and global averages of 0.41 and 0.47, respectively.80 Regarding the timeliness andeffectiveness of the justice system, the same index ranks Peru 0.26, below the regional andglobal averages of 0.37 and 0.47, respectively.81 Between January and June 2022, the judicial
system opened 766 507 cases and resolved 804 742.82 For the same period in 2021, thePeru, ¿Qué es el Ministerio Público - Fiscalía de la Nación?, 30 July 2023, url
Peru, Defensoría del Pueblo, Nuestra institución, n.d., url
69
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 6
70
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
71
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 5
72
La República, Poder Judicial: expertos advierten abuso de la prisión preventive, 6 August 2023, url; TVPE
Noticias, Jefe del INPE: “Existe un abuso de la prisión preventiva", 5 August 2023, url
73
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 6
74
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 6
75
DPLF, interview with EUAA, 6 September 2023
76
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 6; FP, The Real Reason
Behind Peru’s Political Crisis, 25 January 2023, url
77
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 6
78
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 6
79
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2022 Country Report – Peru, 2022, url, p. 1280
WJP, Rule of Law Index: Peru, n.d., url
81
WJP, Rule of Law Index: Peru, n.d., url
82Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Boletín estadístico institucional, No. 02-2022, June 2022, url, p. 8
67

68

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

judicial system opened 702 527 and resolved 700 163 cases.83 Most cases opened between
January and June 2022 were related to family (254 259), labour (177 322), penal (166 123), andcivil (104 655) laws.84 By June 2022, the backlog of cases was over 1 044 000, including
334 000 related to penal law, 248 000 to civil law, 228 000 to family law, and 205 000 tolabour law.85 Most of the backlog is concentrated in Specialised and Mixed Courts (668 430)
and Licensed Justices of Peace (291 461).86
Sources indicated that the Constitutional Court was considered independent from the otherbranches of government and has facilitated the resolution of conflicts among the executive
and legislative.87 However, sources also point to recent irregularities in the appointment ofConstitutional Court justices,88 including the selection of persons with ‘inadequate academic
and legal qualifications.’89
Sources also point to the high levels of impunity for crimes committed in the country.90
Sources report, for example, on the impunity for the investigation of crimes against humanrights defenders, including environmental activists, due to slow and ineffective investigations. 91
Radio Programas del Perú (RPP), a Peruvian news source, quoted the former director of the
National Police as indicating that killing-for-hire was only incorporated as a criminal offence in
the Penal Code in 2015 and, in seven years, 10 cases have been fully investigated.92

1.3.3.

Witness protection program

The Procedural Penal Code indicates the following regarding protection measures forwitnesses and victims of crime:
Article 247.- Persons eligible for protection measures
1. The protection measures provided for in this Title are applicable to those who, as
witnesses, experts, victims, special agents or collaborators, intervene in criminal
proceedings.
2. For the protection measures to be applicable, it will be necessary for the Prosecutor,
during the preparatory investigation, or the Judge, to determine the existence of a

Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Boletín estadístico institucional, No. 02-2022, June 2022, url, p. 8
Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Boletín estadístico institucional, No. 02-2022, June 2022, url, p. 985Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Boletín estadístico institucional, No. 02-2022, June 2022, url, p. 14
86Peru, Poder Judicial del Perú, Boletín estadístico institucional, No. 02-2022, June 2022, url, p. 16
87
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2022 Country Report –Peru, 2022, url, p. 12
88
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; FIDH, Peru: Growing authoritarianism and erosionof rights, 13 July 2023, url
89
FIDH, Peru: Growing authoritarianism and erosion of rights, 13 July 2023, url; DPLF, Informe Final del Panel
Independiente para la elección de magistrados y magistradas al Tribunal Constitucional del Perú, 30 June 2022,
url
90
RPP, ¿Impunidad en el Perú? Hay pocos condenados por sicariato hasta la fecha, 10 April 2023, url; Freedom
House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices:
Peru, 20 March 2023, url, pp. 1, 3, 4, 13
91
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 13; Freedom House,
Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
92
RPP, ¿Impunidad en el Perú? Hay pocos condenados por sicariato hasta la fecha, 10 April 2023, url
83

84

20

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

serious danger to the person, freedom or property of the person, his or her spouse or
cohabitant, or their ascendants, descendants or siblings.
Article 248.- Protection measures
1. The Prosecutor or the Judge, as the case may be, having assessed thecircumstances provided for in the previous article, ex officio or at the request of theparties, will adopt, depending on the degree of risk or danger, the necessary measures
to preserve the identity of the protected person, his or her domicile, profession andplace of work, without prejudice to the adversarial action that assists the accused.
2. The protection measures that can be adopted are the following:a) Police protection.
b) Change of residence.
c) Concealment of the person’s whereabouts.
d) Protection of the identity and other personal data during the procedures, and anyother data that may reveal the identity, with a number or any other code used as areplacement for this purpose. When it concerns an inmate in a penitentiary
establishment, it is communicated to the Penitentiary Registry Directorate of the
National Penitentiary Institute or the one that takes its place.
e) The use of any procedure to make visual identification impossible during theprocedures.
f) Setting as address, for the purposes of summonses and notifications, theheadquarters of the Prosecutor's Office, which, in turn, will send confidentially to therecipient.
g) Use of technological tools, such as videoconferences or other appropriate
procedures, provided that the necessary resources are available for theirimplementation. This measure will be adopted to prevent the safety of the protected
person from being put at risk once his or her identity is revealed and whenever thepreservation of the parties' right to defence requires it.
h) Whenever there is a serious and imminent risk to the life, physical integrity or
freedom of the protected person or that of their family members and these legal rights
cannot be safeguarded in any other way, their departure from the country may befacilitated with an immigration status that allows them to reside temporarily or carry out
work activities abroad.93
According to the DPLF’s Executive Director, protection programs are available for persons
participating in high-profile cases but not for regular citizens who are witnesses or victims of

93

Peru, Código de Procedimiento Penal, 2004, url

21

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

crime.94 Additional information on witness protection programs could not be found among thesources consulted within the time constraints of this report.

1.4.

State security forces

The Armed Forces of Peru (FF. AA., Fuerzas Armadas del Perú) are composed of the Peruvian
Army (Ejército del Perú), Peruvian Navy (MGP, Marina de Guerra del Perú), and Air Force ofPerú (FAP, Fuerza Aérea del Perú).95 In 2022, the FF. AA. had about 95 000 active-duty
personnel, distributed in 60 000 Army, 25 000 Navy, and 10 000 Air Force.96
According to a Ministry of the Interior report on police modernisation, Peru had over 140 000
police officers in 2021.97 The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) website
indicated that in 2017, Peru had 120 306 police officers, a rate of 382.6 officers per 100 000
inhabitants98.99 According to a national census on police stations carried out between 2012
and 2017, the National Police of Peru (PNP, Policía Nacional del Perú) had 47 265 officers
stationed at police stations in 2017, about one police officer per 673 inhabitants, which
represents a decrease in the number of inhabitants per police officer from 755 in 2016 and856 in 2015.100 The following map indicates the number of police officers stationed at police
stations, by department, as of 2017:

DPLF, interview with EUAA, 6 September 2023
Peru, Ministerio de Defensa, Información institucional, n.d., url
96
US, CIA, The World Factbook: Peru, 1 August 2023, url
97Peru, Bases para el fortalecimiento y la modernización de la Policía Nacional del Perú, 2021, url, p. 11
98
As a comparison, the EU had, in average, a rate of 335 police officers per 100 000 inhabitants between 2019 and2020. EU, Eurostat, Police, court and prison personnel statistics, April 2023, url. The UNODC website indicatedthat, based on countries that reported data for 2018, Chile had a rate of 314.48 and Colombia a rate of 367.77.
UNODC, Police personnel, n.d., url
99
UNODC, Police personnel, n.d., url
100Peru, INEI, VI Censo Nacional de Comisarías 2012-2017: Principales resultados, February 2018, url, pp. 33-34
94

95

22

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

Map 2. Number of police officers stationed at police stations, by department, in 2017.101

Peru had 1 470 police stations in 2015, 1 474 in 2016, and 1 495 in 2017.102 For 2017, police
stations included 1 310 regular police stations and 185 specialised police stations, which
includes those at airports, highways, for border security, and family stations.103 The following
map indicates the number of police stations by department, as of 2017:

Peru, INEI, Censo Nacional de Comisarías 2012-2017: Principales resultados, February 2018, url, p. 33
Peru, INEI, VI Censo Nacional de Comisarías 2012-2017: Principales resultados, February 2018, url, p. 5
103Peru, INEI, VI Censo Nacional de Comisarías 2012-2017: Principales resultados, February 2018, url, p. 5. For adetailed map indicating the municipalities that have a police station, see: Peru, INEI, VI Censo Nacional deComisarías 2012-2017: Mapas temáticos, February 2018, url, p. 8
101

102

23

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Map 3. Number of police stations, by department, in 2017.104

Additionally, most municipalities have peace officers (Oficiales de Serenazgo) who areresponsible for, among others, to alert the National Police of suspicious activity inneighbourhoods, undertake outreach initiatives in communities to prevent crime, assist the
National Police and citizens when a crime is committed, and participate in community patrols
with the National Police.105 By March 2020, the country had 31 715 peace officers.106 The
following table indicates the number of peace officers by March 2020, by department:

Peru, INEI, Censo Nacional de Comisarías 2012-2017: Principales resultados, February 2018, url, p. 33
Peru, Manual del Sereno Municipal, 2019, url, Ch. 4
106Peru, Perú: Indicadores de Gestión Municipal 2020, February 2021, url, p. 136
104

105

24

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

Figure 1. Number of peace officers, by department, in March 2020.107

1.4.1.

Effectiveness

Much of the information related to defence and security policies is classified under a 2012
law.108 A 2021 Ministry of the Interior report on police modernisation identified, among others,
the following institutional challenges to police effectiveness: lack of adequate filters in theprocess of selection of new police officers that results in the recruitment of people withcriminal background, ‘arbitrary’ rules and practices around promotions, lack of access tomental health care for police officers, some police stations having obsolete infrastructure andnot located in areas in need, obsolete weaponry, lack of specialised equipment for criminal
investigations, lack of land and fluvial vehicles, and outdated communication equipment.109
In March 2020, Congress approved the Police Protection Law which granted additional
judicial protections to state security forces and eliminated the explicit requisite that the use ofPeru, Perú: Indicadores de Gestión Municipal 2020, February 2021, url, p. 136
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
109Peru, Bases para el fortalecimiento y la modernización de la Policía Nacional del Perú, 2021, url, pp. 25-33
107

108

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

force must be proportional to the threat.110 The Law was still in effect in 2023.111 On 29 October
2021, the government passed a resolution authorising the armed forces to support the
National Police in ‘securing and maintaining internal order.’112 The resolution, which was issued
with a 30-day validity, has been extended since then, according to January 2023 reporting.113
The government has investigated and prosecuted public officials accused of corruption.114
However, impunity in this regard remains prevalent.115

1.5.

Political developments

In July 2021, Pedro Castillo was declared President of Peru for the period 2021-2026 in thesecond round of the presidential elections that took place in the previous month.116 Castillo,from left-wing party Free Peru (Perú Libre), defeated right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori fromthe Popular Force (Fuerza Popular) political party.117 Despite fraud allegations and legal
challenges launched by Popular Force, both presidential and legislative elections wereregarded as free and fair by observers.118 Castillo survived two attempts by Congress toremove him from office, in 2021 and May 2022.119
On 7 December 2022, hours before Congress was scheduled to vote whether impeach
Castillo for “moral incapacity”, President Castillo addressed the country announcing theimmediate dissolution of Congress and that he would rule by decree until new legislativeelections were called.120 The same measures had been successfully adopted by President
Alberto Fujimori in 1992 when he dissolved Congress and gained complete control of thegovernment.121 President Castillo’s move was considered an attempted ‘self-coup’ andcondemned across the political spectrum.122 As a result, Castillo was detained, impeached,

HRW, Perú: Nueva ley protege abuso policial, 12 May 2020, url; Ojo Público, Ley de protección policial:
oportunismo en tiempos de crisis, 2 April 2020, url; AI, Lethal racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use offorces by Peru’s security forces, 2023, url, p. 46
111
AI, Report 2022/23: The State of the World’s Human Rights – Peru, 2023, url, p. 295
112
Peru, Resolución Suprema No. 191-200-IN, 2021, url, Art. 1
113
CNDDHH, Informe Alternativo al Comité de Derechos Humanos: Presentado en el marco del sexto informe
periódico del Perú, 30 January 2023, url, p. 18
114
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 1
115
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 1
116
BBC, Perú: Pedro Castillo es proclamado ganador de las elecciones presidenciales más de un mes después delas elecciones, 20 July 2021, url; USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023,
url, p. 11
117
BBC, Perú: Pedro Castillo es proclamado ganador de las elecciones presidenciales más de un mes después delas elecciones, 20 July 2021, url; WOLA, Perú inaugura un nuevo presidente: Pedro Castillo canaliza demandas por
un cambio, pero enfrentará grandes desafíos, 27 July 2021, url
118
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 11; OAS, IACHR,
Situación de Derechos Humanos en Perú en el contexto de las protestas sociales, url, paras. 43-52
119
The San Diego Union-Tribune, Perú: presidente sobrevive a pedido de remoción en Congreso, 28 March 2022,
url; HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 21
120International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; Freedom House, Freedom
in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
121
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 21; Clarín, Perú:del “autogolpe” de Fujimori en 1992 al de Pedro Castillo en 2022, 12 December 2022, url
122International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; Freedom House, Freedom
in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
110

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PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

removed from office, and imprisoned.123 Dina Boluarte, then Vice-President, was appointed
President by Congress.124 Boluarte initially indicated that presidential elections would be called
in 2024, requesting Congress to pass legislation to that effect.125 Congress, however, rejected
these requests.126 In June 2023, president Boluarte indicated that she would stay in power
until the end of Castillo’s mandate, or July 2026,127 although public opinion favoured early
elections.128
The DPLF Executive Director observed that, ‘currently, there is a process of coopting of
democratic institutions. In the past, there was a widespread consensus that democratic
institutions were solid and autonomous despite political crises. But it is no longer the same,especially for the Supreme Court of Justice, the Public Ministry, the Office of the
Ombudsperson, and the Justice National Commission (JNJ, Junta Nacional de Justicia),’129 theconstitutional body responsible for appointing and investigating judges and prosecutors.130
Human Rights Watch (HRW) similarly indicated that ‘[s]ectors of Congress seem to be moving
rapidly to weaken democratic institutions that could serve as checks on their power.’131 The
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) indicated, for example, that
constitutional concepts such as ‘constitutional impeachment’, ‘presidential vacancy due topermanent moral incapacity’, and ‘dissolution of Congress due to non-confidence votes by
two councils of ministers,’ lack of objective definition and have the ‘potential to weaken theseparation and balance of powers and paralyze the governability of the country.’132 The‘presidential vacancy due to permanent moral incapacity’ concept, for example, was used

International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; Freedom House, Freedom
in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
124International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; Freedom House, Freedom
in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
125
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 3; El País, Dina
Boluarte sepulta su promesa de adelanto electoral: “El tema está cerrado. Seguiremos hasta julio de 2026”, 16June 2023, url; AFP, Boluarte descarta elecciones anticipadas en Perú ante nuevos llamados a protestas, 16 June
2023, url
126
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 3; El País, Dina
Boluarte sepulta su promesa de adelanto electoral: “El tema está cerrado. Seguiremos hasta julio de 2026”, 16June 2023, url; AFP, Boluarte descarta elecciones anticipadas en Perú ante nuevos llamados a protestas, 16 June
2023, url
127
El País, Dina Boluarte sepulta su promesa de adelanto electoral: “El tema está cerrado. Seguiremos hasta julio
de 2026”, 16 June 2023, url; AFP, Boluarte descarta elecciones anticipadas en Perú ante nuevos llamados aprotestas, 16 June 2023, url
128
El País, Dina Boluarte sepulta su promesa de adelanto electoral: “El tema está cerrado. Seguiremos hasta julio
de 2026”, 16 June 2023, url; HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April
2023, url, p. 22
129
DPLF, interview with EUAA, 6 September 2023
130
DPLF, interview with EUAA, 6 September 2023; La República, Congreso aprueba golpe contra el sistema dejusticia, 8 September 2023, url; CEJIL et al., Organizaciones internacionales condenamos ataque parlamentario
contra Junta Nacional de Justica en el Perú, 8 September 2023, url
131
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 12
132
OAS, IACHR, Situación de Derechos Humanos en Perú en el contexto de las protestas sociales, 23 April 2023,
url, pp. 34-35
123

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

against several presidents, including Alberto Fujimori in 2000,133 Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in
2017,134 Martín Vizcarra in 2020, and Pedro Castillo.135
On 7 September 2023, the Justice Commission of the Congress approved a motion toinvestigate, within seven days, and summarily dismiss the seven members of the JNJ.136
Sources indicated that the JNJ is currently investigating the General Attorney for irregularities
including influence peddling137 and accepting an award from the mayor of Lima who is being
investigated for money laundering.138 Additional information could not be found among thesources consulted within the time constraints of this report.

AFP, En 2000, Alberto Fujimori dimitió y el Congreso luego lo destituyó, 22 March 2018, urlBBC, El Congreso de Perú debate la aceptación de la renuncia del presidente Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, 23 March
2018, url
135
BBC, Pedro Castillo | 6 presidentes en 4 años: por qué Perú es tan difícil de gobernar, 8 December 2022, url;
Caretas, Cuatro presidentes fueron vacados por “incapacidad moral permanente” en la historia del Perú, 14 March
2022, url
136
La República, Congreso aprueba golpe contra el sistema de justicia, 8 September 2023, url; CEJIL et al.,Organizaciones internacionales condenamos ataque parlamentario contra Junta Nacional de Justica en el Perú, 8
September 2023, url137
CEJIL et al., Organizaciones internacionales condenamos ataque parlamentario contra Junta Nacional de Justicaen el Perú, 8 September 2023, url
138
La República, Patricia Chirinos denuncia constitucionalmente a miembros de la JNJ y pide que sean
inhabilitados, 9 July 2023, url; Infobae, Patricia Benavides se refirió a la investigación contra la JNJ: “No me
involucren en las decisiones del Congreso”, 9 September 2023, url
133

134

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PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

2.

Demonstrations

In April and May 2022, large demonstrations, some violent, took place against then President
Castillo, protesting the administration’s economic policies in the context of rising inflation 139
and the increase in the prices of fuel, fertilisers, and food.140 The government decreed a 30day state of emergency to deal with the protests,141 but abolished the decree later that day.142
The protests left 5 deaths and 59 persons injured among citizens and police officers.143
On 7 December 2022, after Castillo was removed from office and imprisoned,144 nationwide
protests emerged to demand Castillo’s release.145 This demand ‘quickly’ disappeared146 andprotests evolved and broadened, with demonstrators calling for Boluarte’s removal fromoffice, the holding of early general elections before 2026, the drafting of a new Constitution,and demands for better living standards and access to health care and education.147 Initially,
protesters were predominantly from rural areas, some of whom identified with Castillo’s
background as a rural school teacher, and travelled to the capital cities of the departments todemonstrate.148 Protests grew in size with the outcry over the government’s repressive
response to demonstrations149 and the participation residents of these cities, many of them ofindigenous background.150 Sources indicated that protesters’ grievances had deeper roots
arising from Peru’s profound inequality where power and financial resources are concentrated
in urban elites, while the Indigenous population has been plagued by racism and lack of
economic opportunity.151 According to International Crisis Group, many demonstrators
identified with Castillo and saw his impeachment as a ‘direct attack on their community.’152

Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, urlBBC, Perú: el gobierno de Pedro Castillo decreta el estado de emergencia en Lima para contrarrestar las
protestas que dejaron 4 muertos, 5 April 2022, url; The New York Times, Protestas en Perú: el gobierno eliminó elestado de emergencia pero las manifestaciones continúan, 5 April 2022, url
141
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
142Peru, Defensoría del Pueblo, Resumen ejecutivo del vigésimo sexto informe anual 2022, 19 May 2023, url, p. 16
143Peru, Defensoría del Pueblo, Resumen ejecutivo del vigésimo sexto informe anual 2022, 19 May 2023, url, p. 16
144International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; Peru, Defensoría delPueblo, Resumen ejecutivo del vigésimo sexto informe anual 2022, 19 May 2023, url, p. 16
145
International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; Freedom House, Freedom
in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru,
April 2023, url, p. 23
146
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 23
147
International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; HRW, Deadly Decline:
Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, pp. 4, 23
148
HRW, interview with EUAA, 22 August 2023. See also: International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s
Strife?, 15 February 2023, url
149
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 4
150
HRW, interview with EUAA, 22 August 2023
151
International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; HRW, Deadly Decline:
Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 24
152
International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url
139

140

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

As a response to the protests, the Boluarte government deployed the military and declared astate of emergency in affected areas.153 The state of emergency granted ‘special powers’ tosecurity forces and limited freedom of assembly.154
Between 7 December 2022 and mid-February 2023, the Office of the Ombudsperson
reported 1 327 protests with ‘thousands’ of people participating.155 Protests were organised
through social media without an apparent leadership and were supported by different sectorsof society, including students, teachers, farmers, trade unions, indigenous peoples, defence
fronts (grupos de defensa), and rural patrols (rondas campesinas156).157 The largest
demonstrations took place in southern Peru, characterised for a large presence of indigenous
peoples and high levels of poverty, as well as in coastal cities such as Callao and Lima.158
Some demonstrations led to the burning of buildings and blockades of highways and roads
across the country,159 affecting the supply of food and fuel.160 By 15 February 2023, around 60
people had died in the protests, including 48 in clashes with security forces, and a police
officer.161
Between March and July 2023, the number of protests declined progressively to virtuallynone.162 However, on 19 July 2023, further demonstrations were held in the country calling for
President Boluarte’s resignation and new presidential elections.163 According to the Office of
the Ombudsperson, demonstrations took place in 64 provinces and included rallies,
blockades, and confrontations between demonstrators and state security forces.164 Among thedemonstrators were union organisations, feminist organisations, students, and reservists, andcitizens unaffiliated with any social or political organisations.165 The Office of the
Ombudsperson reported 14 persons injured during the protests, including 6 civilians and 8
police officers, 16 cases of aggression against journalists, and the detention of 6
demonstrators.166

Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of
Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url
154
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
155
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 4
156
Community self-defence groups that emerged during the armed conflict in the 1980s and 1990s. International
Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url;
157
International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; HRW, Deadly Decline:
Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 23
158
International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; HRW, Deadly Decline:
Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, pp. i, 24
159
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and
Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 4
160
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 4
161
International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; AI, Lethal racism:
Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forces by Peru’s security forces, 2023, url, p. 11
162
Peru, Defensoría del Pueblo, Informe defensorial No. 0001-2023-DP/APCSG, 21 July 2023, url, p. 2; DPLF,
interview with EUAA, 6 September 2023
163
El País, Las protestas se reactivan en Perú para exigir la renuncia de Dina Boluarte y un adelanto electoral, 20
July 2023, url; DW, Reinician protestas en Perú pidiendo adelanto de elecciones, 20 July 2023, url
164Peru, Defensoría del Pueblo, Informe defensorial No. 0001-2023-DP/APCSG, 21 July 2023, url, pp. 2-3
165Peru, Defensoría del Pueblo, Informe defensorial No. 0001-2023-DP/APCSG, 21 July 2023, url, p. 3; El Mundo,
Nueva 'Toma de Lima' para resucitar las protestas en Perú, 20 July 2023, url
166
Peru, Defensoría del Pueblo, Informe defensorial No. 0001-2023-DP/APCSG, 21 July 2023, url, pp. 4-6
15330

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

2.1.

Treatment by authorities

Authorities reportedly used excessive and indiscriminate force, including lethal force, during
the demonstrations.167 According to a January 2023 report by the National Coordinator for
Human Rights (CNDDHH, Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos), an NGO that
promotes and advocates for the defence of human rights in the country, authorities usedassault rifles and, as ammunition, buckshot calibre pellets, glass marbles, and bullets,168 which
are prohibited by internal rules of the National Police.169 Authorities also used tear gas during
demonstrations as well as during funeral processions for those killed during thedemonstrations, despite the presence of children.170 The CNDDHH report further indicatedthat police officers infiltrated the demonstrations and instigated demonstrators to engage indisturbances to justify eventual detentions.171 Sources also indicated that authorities planted
evidence such as illicit drugs and machetes to incriminate protesters.172
The Boluarte government also engaged in an stigmatising discourse against those who
participated in the protests by linking them to terrorists, drug traffickers, and illegal miners.173
Amnesty International indicated that the portrayal of protesters as ‘violent and radical’ wasintentional and government officials ‘did not publicly demand accountability from the police or
the army.’174 For example, the chief of the criminal investigations division of the National Police
indicated that members of the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) infiltrated the protests.175
Government officials also accused the Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights(MOVADEF, Movimiento por Amnistía y Derechos Fundamentales), a political organisation

International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023, url; Freedom House, Freedom
in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru,
April 2023, url, p. 2
168
CNDDHH, Informe Alternativo al Comité de Derechos Humanos: Presentado en el marco del sexto informe
periódico del Perú, 30 January 2023, url, pp. 18-19. See also: HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and
Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 2
169
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 2
170
CNDDHH, Informe Alternativo al Comité de Derechos Humanos: Presentado en el marco del sexto informe
periódico del Perú, 30 January 2023, url, p. 19
171
CNDDHH, Informe Alternativo al Comité de Derechos Humanos: Presentado en el marco del sexto informe
periódico del Perú, 30 January 2023, url, p. 28
172
CNDDHH, Informe Alternativo al Comité de Derechos Humanos: Presentado en el marco del sexto informe
periódico del Perú, 30 January 2023, url, p. 28; AI, Perú: La represión letal del Estado es una muestra más deldesprecio hacia la población Indígena y campesina, 16 February 2023, url
173
RPP, Dina Boluarte llama a la paz y unidad ante reinicio de protestas en el sur del país, 4 January 2023, url; El
Popular, Alberto Otárola sobre protestas en Puno: "Están siendo financiados por dinero oscuro del narcotráfico", 9January 2023, url; HRW, interview with EUAA, 22 August 2023; AI, Peru: Senior officials should face investigation
over widespread lethal attacks by security forces, 25 May 2023, url
174
AI (Amnesty International), Lethal racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forces by Peru’s security
forces, 2023, url, p. 3
175
Agencia EFE, Policía de Perú afirma que Sendero Luminoso se ha infiltrado en protestas, 13 January 2023, url;
CNN, Familias de Perú piden reparaciones por la muerte de manifestantes durante las protestas, mientras Boluarte
promete investigar abusos de las autoridades, 25 January 2023, url
167

31

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

with alleged links to Shining Path,176 of being behind the protests.177 For more information on
Shining Path, see Section 3.5 Armed and criminal groups. In addition, pro-government media
outlets publicly denounced demonstrators and labelled them as ‘terrorists,’ and NGOs that
advocated for the rights of demonstrators were portrayed as ‘defenders of terrorists.’178 The
government also indicated that the protests were financed by foreign actors179 and illegalorganisations such as drug traffickers and illegal miners,180 and that money collections madeby demonstrators to travel to the cities to protest were deemed as illegal financing byauthorities.181 Despite these allegations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged in aninterview with The New York Times that the government did not have ‘any evidence thatweeks of protests were being driven by criminal groups’, adding, however, that the
government ‘will have that evidence very soon.’182 Additional information could not be foundamong the sources consulted within the time constraints of this report.
According to the Director of the National Police, in interview with Human Rights Watch, the‘police had not confiscated any firearms from protesters anywhere in the country as ofFebruary 7, 2023.’183 According to the IACHR, there was also a ‘strong stigmatization on thebasis of ethnic, racial and regional factors’ in the discourse of some authorities, which used
terms such as ‘terrorists,’ ‘senderistas,’ ‘Indians,’ and ‘other disrespectful expressions’ to referto indigenous peoples and peasants.184 Similarly, Human Rights Watch indicated that,
according to its field research, even though ‘some people involved in crime may be taking
advantage of the crisis to pursue their interests in certain locations, [it] found no evidence thatcriminal organizations had orchestrated the protests.’185 According to Human Rights Watch, as
of August 2023, the stigmatising discourse continued.186

MOVADEF organises and participates in anti-government demonstrations and rallies calling for the release of
Shining Path members. MOVADEF applied to become a political party, but the JNE rejected the application in 2016indicating that MOVADEF does not meet the requirements to be a political party. BBC, Qué es el Movadef, lapolémica organización que vinculan con Sendero Luminoso en Perú y a la que acusan de apología al terrorismo, 9August 2017, url; Infobae, Movadef, Sendero Luminoso y MRTA están detrás de la violencia en las protestas,
advirtió el jefe de la Dircote, 13 December 2022, url; Canal N, JNE rechazó inscripción de frente impulsado por elMovadef, 28 September 2016, url
177
CNDDHH, Informe Alternativo al Comité de Derechos Humanos: Presentado en el marco del sexto informe
periódico del Perú, 30 January 2023, url, p. 29
178
CNDDHH, Informe Alternativo al Comité de Derechos Humanos: Presentado en el marco del sexto informe
periódico del Perú, 30 January 2023, url, p. 29
179
El Popular, Alberto Otárola sobre protestas en Puno: "Están siendo financiados por dinero oscuro delnarcotráfico", 9 January 2023, url; 24 Horas, Ministro del Interior: “No se descarta que haya financiamiento
extranjero para las protestas”, 15 December 2022, url
180
El Popular, Alberto Otárola sobre protestas en Puno: "Están siendo financiados por dinero oscuro delnarcotráfico", 9 January 2023, url; La República, Manifestantes: “Acusación de tener financiamiento ilegal nos
ofende”, 12 February 2023, url
181
HRW, interview with EUAA. 22 August 2023
182
The New York Times, Peru’s Foreign Minister Concedes There’s No Evidence Criminals Are Behind Protests, 7
February 2023, url
183
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 6
184
Ojo Público, CIDH denuncia terruqueo y estigmatización por factores raciales de parte de autoridades durante lacrisis social, 13 January 2023, url
185
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 37
186
HRW, interview with EUAA, 22 August 2023
176

32

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

The Office of the Ombudsperson indicated that between 7 December 2022 and 23 January2023, 639 persons were detained in the context of the protests.187 The same source indicatedthat 578 of the detainees were set free and that the Public Ministry opened 105 criminal
investigations.188 Sources indicated that between 7 December 2022 and 10 February 2023,
743 people were detained in the context of the protests.189 Ojo Público reported that,
according to information provided by the Public Ministry, 27 persons were sentenced for‘vandalism’ and other 30 persons are under ‘pretrial detention.’190 Additional information could
not be found among the sources consulted within the time constraints of this report.
Sources indicate that violation of due process and abuses against detainees took place during
the protests, including mass detentions, physical and psychological abuse during detention,and deprivation of food, medicines, menstruating products,191 water, and sleep.192 Authorities
also dissuaded protesters through the arbitrary use of ‘identity checks’ to intimidate protesters
or persons wanting to protest.193 In an interview with EUAA for this report, César Muñoz,
Americas Associate Director of Human Rights Watch indicated that the General Attorney
Office opened investigations against protesters and assigned these cases to prosecutors
specialised in organised crime due to the allegations of terrorism and financing by criminalorganisations. However, in the cases analysed by Human Rights Watch, after the preliminary
investigations, prosecutors found that these cases were not organised crime-related andreferred them to common crime prosecutors.194 The same source indicated that for somepeople who were injured in the demonstrations, authorities reportedly use these injuries asevidence of their participation in the attacks against the police during the protests.195
Journalists were also attacked during the protests by both demonstrators and state security
forces, with the Peruvian National Association of journalists documenting, between December
2022 and January 2023, 155 instances of harassment, threats, beatings, and arbitrary
detentions.196
According to Ministry of Health data consulted by Human Rights Watch, about 1 300 people,
including 39 children and 380 police officers, were treated in public and private healthfacilities for injuries sustained during the demonstrations. 197 Some of the injured were

Peru, Defensoría del Pueblo, Informe Defensorial n.° 190, Crisis política y protesta social: Balance defensorial tras
tres meses de iniciado el conflicto (Del 7 de diciembre de 2022 al 6 de marzo de 2023), url, p. 41
188
Peru, Defensoría del Pueblo, Informe Defensorial n.° 190, Crisis política y protesta social: Balance defensorial tras
tres meses de iniciado el conflicto (Del 7 de diciembre de 2022 al 6 de marzo de 2023), url, p. 41
189
RPP, Más de 700 personas fueron detenidas desde que iniciaron las protestas contra el Gobierno, según
Mininter, url; Ojo Público, Masivas detenciones en Perú: testimonios denuncian el abuso policial, 12 February 2023,
url
190
Ojo Público, Masivas detenciones en Perú: testimonios denuncian el abuso policial, 12 February 2023, url
191
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 8; CNDDHH,
Informe Alternativo al Comité de Derechos Humanos: Presentado en el marco del sexto informe periódico del Perú,
30 January 2023, url, p. 20
192
CNDDHH, Informe Alternativo al Comité de Derechos Humanos: Presentado en el marco del sexto informe
periódico del Perú, 30 January 2023, url, p. 20
193
CNDDHH, Informe Alternativo al Comité de Derechos Humanos: Presentado en el marco del sexto informe
periódico del Perú, 30 January 2023, url, p. 29
194
HRW, interview with EUAA, 22 August 2023
195
HRW, interview with EUAA, 22 August 2023
196
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 8
197
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 7
187

33

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

passersby or bystanders.198 According to Amnesty International, the use of force differed
between regions, with localities with greater indigenous representation having adisproportionate higher number of deaths.199
Most of the victims who died were killed by gunshot wounds caused by assault rifles andhandguns consistent with security forces’ equipment, and at least one victim died from a
direct shot with a gas cannister.200 Sources also pointed to the alleged commission of‘extrajudicial executions’ by state agents.201 Amnesty International documented the death of
25 people and, according to its research, 20 of these deaths are consistent with extrajudicial
execution due to the type of ammunition used, the location of the fatal wounds in the body ofthe victims, the state of defencelessness of the victim at the time of death, the way incidents
occurred as recorded on images or reported by witnesses, among others.202 Human Rights
Watch documented several cases of demonstrators and bystanders who were injured or killed
by state security forces.203 Amnesty International also documented the killings ofdemonstrators by police.204
Violence against police officers by some demonstrators was also documented.205 Somedemonstrators threw stones and homemade devices that included fireworks, and used
explosives and craft made weapons.206 The Office of the Ombudsperson documented 153
incidents of violence by protesters against police officers, leaving ‘hundreds’ of theminjured.207

2.2.

Investigations into abuses

Sources indicate that state security forces have been involved in the commission of arbitrary
detentions and unlawful killings,208 and that abuses committed by security forces are rarely
punished.209 In July 2022, the General Attorney Office suspended the investigation into thekillings of Inti Sotelo and Brian Pintado allegedly by security forces during a 2020 antiHRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 64; AI, Lethal
racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forces by Peru’s security forces, 2023, url, p. 44
199
AI, Lethal racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forces by Peru’s security forces, 2023, url, p. 48
200
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, pp. 2, 5, 6; AI, Lethal
racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forces by Peru’s security forces, 2023, url, pp. 11-12
201
OAS, IACHR, Situación de Derechos Humanos en Perú en el contexto de las protestas sociales, 23 April 2023,
url, paras. 158, 290; HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p.
108; AI, Lethal racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forces by Peru’s security forces, 2023, url, p. 2;
DPLF, interview with EUAA, 6 September 2023
202AI, Lethal racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forces by Peru’s security forces, 2023, url, p. 12
203
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, pp. 63-67
204
AI, Lethal racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forces by Peru’s security forces, 2023, url, p. 16
205
AI, Lethal racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forces by Peru’s security forces, 2023, url, p. 11;
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 4
206
AI, Lethal racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forces by Peru’s security forces, 2023, url, p. 11;
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 4
207
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 4
208
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, pp. 1-11; USDOS,
2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, pp. 2-3; CNDDHH, Informe anual
2022: Del filo del abismo al abismo, May 2023, url
209
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and
Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 60
198

34

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

government demonstration, after a court ruled that the killings did not amount to human rights
violations and that they should be investigated as a regular crime.210 In February 2023, theInspector General of the National Police found that the 11 officers who were accused of thekillings were not responsible and absolved them of all charges.211
The IACHR report on Peru indicates that, in the context of the December 2022 protests, thePublic Ministry opened six investigations on the 27 deaths reported, all in the stage of‘preliminary investigation.’212 It also opened 16 investigations on the 344 cases of persons
injured.213 As of February 2023, the General Attorney Office had opened 189 investigations
into the deaths and injuries of protesters and bystanders; however, no police officer has been
disciplined or removed from duty.214 Specialised human rights prosecutors lead some of theseinvestigations; however, there are 47 nationwide with 4 of them stationed in southern Peru,
where most of the incidents occurred.215 Additionally, ‘serious’ flaws have occurred during theinvestigations, including failure to collect evidence, secure crime scenes, order gunshot
residue tests on military and police officers, arrange autopsies before burials, seizing guns forballistic analysis, obtain CCTV footage of crime scenes, and lack of forensic experts assigned
to the cases.216 Additional information on the status of these investigations could not be foundamong the sources consulted within the time constraints of this report.
The General Attorney Office opened an investigation against Boluarte, three ministers and two
ex-ministers for the crimes of murder and genocide.217 Additional information could not befound among the sources consulted within the time constraints of this report.

USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 2; La República, Caso
Inti y Bryan: Fiscalía suspende investigación tras polémico fallo del Poder Judicial, 22 July 2022, url
211
Infobae, “Impunidad criminal”: Absuelven a 11 policías investigados por muertes de Inti y Bryan, 21 February
2023, url; La República, Inti y Bryan: Inspectoría PNP absolvió a 11 oficiales investigados por muerte de jóvenes, 23
February 2023, url
212
OAS, IACHR, Situación de Derechos Humanos en Perú en el contexto de las protestas sociales, 23 April 2023,
url, para. 181
213
OAS, IACHR, Situación de Derechos Humanos en Perú en el contexto de las protestas sociales, 23 April 2023,
url, para. 181
214
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 8
215
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 83
216
HRW, Deadly Decline: Security Force Abuses and Democratic Crisis in Peru, April 2023, url, p. 9
217
DW, Fiscalía de Perú abre investigación a Boluarte por genocidio, 11 January 2023, url; BBC, La Fiscalía de Perúabre investigación preliminar contra la presidenta Dina Boluarte por "genocidio" tras las muertes en las protestas, 11
January 2023, url
210

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

3.

Criminality

According to the Public Ministry, the most prevalent crimes in Peru are aggravated theft,
extortion, kidnapping, and cybercrime.218 A statistics report produced by INEI on criminality,
based on information provided by the National Police and the Ministry of the Interior, indicatedthat, in 2022, the National Police registered a total of 497 581 complaints, an increase of 23.4
percent from 2021.219 Of these complaints, 316 728 were related to crimes such as theft,robbery, and extortion.220 Between October and December 2020, the departments with thehighest number of criminal complaints were Lima Metropolitan Area, Lambayeque, Arequipa,
and La Libertad.221 A survey222 by INEI on public safety, indicated that between November
2022 and April 2023, 25 percent of respondents nationwide, 27.3 percent in major urban
centres, and 19 percent in rural towns, declared as having been the victim of a crime.223 A
2022 report by Ricardo Valdés, former Minister of the Interior of Peru; Carlos Basombrío,journalist and former Minister of the Interior; and Dante Vera, sociologist, indicated that,
according to INEI, between 80 and 85 percent of crimes are not reported to authorities.224
According to security experts consulted by Argentinian news source Infobae, criminalorganisations have been incorporating different methods and techniques throughout theyears, and they have infiltrated large sectors of Peruvian society, taking advantage of the ‘fear
and vulnerability’ of the population.225
Sources indicated that a number of local criminal organisations and gangs operate in the
country, particularly in Lima.226 Peruvian newspaper La República reported that the National
Police and prosecutors identified 11 criminal organisations that control around 33 public park
areas in Lima.227 Some of the activities carried out by criminal organisations include
kidnapping, extortion, contract killings, drug trafficking, and trafficking in persons for sexual
exploitation.228 According to a spokesperson from the National Police, criminal organisations
218

Peru, Ministerio Público Fiscalía de la Nación, ¿Cuáles son los delitos más comunes en el Perú?, 6 August 2023,

url
Peru, INEI, Estadísticas de la criminalidad, seguridad ciudadana y violencia: Una visión desde los registros
administrativos, Enero – Marzo 2023, Informe Técnico No. 2 – Junio 2023, June 2023, url, p. 3
220Peru, INEI, Estadísticas de la criminalidad, seguridad ciudadana y violencia: Una visión desde los registros
administrativos, Enero – Marzo 2023, Informe Técnico No. 2 – Junio 2023, June 2023, url, p. 2
221Peru, INEI, Estadísticas de la criminalidad, seguridad ciudadana y violencia: Una visión desde los registros
administrativos, Enero – Marzo 2023, Informe Técnico No. 2 – Junio 2023, June 2023, url, p. 4
222
The survey had a sample of 28 624 households throughout the country with a margin of error of 5 %. Peru, INEI,
Estadísticas de seguridad ciudadana, Noviembre 2022-April 2023, Informe Técnico No. 4 – Julio 2023, July 2023,
url, pp. 106-107
223
Peru, INEI, Estadísticas de seguridad ciudadana, Noviembre 2022-April 2023, Informe Técnico No. 4 – Julio
2023, July 2023, url, pp. 1-2
224
Valdés, Ricardo et al., Las economías criminales y su impacto en el Perú: ¿Cuáles? ¿Cuánto? ¿Dónde? ¿Cómo?,2022, url, p. 111
225
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
226
Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima
operan, 5 June 2023, url; La República, PNP: bandas extranjeras tienen el control de 33 plazas en 14 distritos deLima, 26 June 2023, url
227
La República, PNP: bandas extranjeras tienen el control de 33 plazas en 14 distritos de Lima, 26 June 2023, url
228
La República, PNP: bandas extranjeras tienen el control de 33 plazas en 14 distritos de Lima, 26 June 2023, url;Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
219

36

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

commit these and other ‘cruel’ acts as an ‘exemplary tactic to create fear among inhabitants’and control territory.229 According to sources, criminal organisations from Venezuela,
Colombia, and Ecuador have made inroads in Peru, particularly in Lima, and are displacing
Peruvian gangs due to their economic and military power.230 For additional information on
criminal groups, see Section 3.5 Armed and criminal groups.
Peru is the second largest cocaine producer in the world after Colombia.231 Local traffickers
have ties with international drug trafficking organisations from countries such as Colombia and
Mexico, as well as with transnational criminal organisations in countries such as Brazil and
Italy.232 According to the Director of the General Directorate Against Organised Crime,
international drug trafficking organisations act as financiers of criminal organisations in Peru.233

3.1.

Homicides

Peru’s homicide rate is lower than some countries in the region; however, street crime isrampant and violent organised criminal groups are prevalent in the country.234 Information on
recent homicide rates could not be found among the sources consulted within the time
constraints of this report. The homicide rate for 2020 was 5.8 per 100 000 inhabitants.235 In
Lima, 700 homicides were committed in 2022, including 367 contracted killings.236 Between
January and April 2023, 220 homicides took place in Lima, including 118 contracted killings. 237
The districts with the highest number of homicides in 2022 were San Juan Lurigancho (138homicides), San Martín de Porres (80), Ate (59), Comas (54), Cercado de Lima (36), Los Olivos(34), and El Agustino (31).238 Between January and April 2023, the districts with the highest
number of homicides were Ate (20 homicides), San Juan de Lurigancho (19), Villa María del
Triunfo (12), Puente Piedra (9), and San martin de Porres and San Juan de Miraflores (8each).239

La República, PNP: bandas extranjeras tienen el control de 33 plazas en 14 distritos de Lima, 26 June 2023, url
Trome, Tren de Aragua y otras bandas criminales extranjeras toman el control de Lima: ¿quiénes son y en qué
distritos operan?, 5 June 2023, url; Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas
extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima operan, 5 June 2023, url; La República, Guerra entre bandas extranjeras ya ha
dejado 41 muertos en Lima, según PNP, 19 June 2023, url
231
InSight Crime, Peru, n.d, url; Swissinfo.ch, La mutación del mapa del narcotráfico en Perú, 26 June 2023, url
232
InSight Crime, Peru, n.d, url; Ojo Público, Sonia Medina: “En Perú las organizaciones criminales nos estánllevando la avanzada”, 9 July 2023, url233
Ojo Público, Sonia Medina: “En Perú las organizaciones criminales nos están llevando la avanzada”, 9 July
2023, url
234
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
235Peru, INEI, Nota de prensa No. 198, 14 December 2022, url
236
Infobae, Sicariato en Lima va en aumento: 367 de los 700 crímenes del 2022 fueron por encargo o ajustes decuenta, 6 May 2023, url; La República, Peleas territoriales de bandas aumentan muertes por sicariato, 6 May 2023,
url
237
Infobae, Sicariato en Lima va en aumento: 367 de los 700 crímenes del 2022 fueron por encargo o ajustes decuenta, 6 May 2023, url; La República, Peleas territoriales de bandas aumentan muertes por sicariato, 6 May 2023,
url
238
Infobae, Sicariato en Lima va en aumento: 367 de los 700 crímenes del 2022 fueron por encargo o ajustes decuenta, 6 May 2023, url; La República, Peleas territoriales de bandas aumentan muertes por sicariato, 6 May 2023,
url
239
Infobae, Sicariato en Lima va en aumento: 367 de los 700 crímenes del 2022 fueron por encargo o ajustes decuenta, 6 May 2023, url; La República, Peleas territoriales de bandas aumentan muertes por sicariato, 6 May 2023,
url
229
230

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

3.2.

Human trafficking

Human trafficking for the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation has also been increasing
in Peru.240 Statistics vary according to the source. According to Public Ministry statistics, 6 107
cases were reported by authorities in 2022, 5 626 in 2021, 3 915 in 2020, and 6 056 in
2019.241 Between January and May 2023, authorities reported 2 222 cases.242 According tostatistics by the Ministry of the Interior, 631 complaints were filed in 2022 and 106 between
January and March 2023.243 The same source indicated that in the complaints filed between
January and March 2023, 90.6 percent of victims were women and 48.1 percent were minors
between the ages of 12 and 17.244 Victims, however, prefer not filing police complaints out offear of retribution, including killing.245 The Special Prosecutor for Human Trafficking (FISTRAP,
Fiscalía Especializada en Trata de Personas) have 688 files opened, including 115 inArequipa, 70 in northern Lima, 65 in Tumbes, 62 in Loreto, and 61 in central Lima.246 Sourcesindicated that human trafficking for the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation is closely
related to the trafficking of migrants who are usually forced, often under threats, into sexual orlabour exploitation.247 According to the Public Ministry, Venezuelans represented 85 percent
of victims of sexual exploitation in 2022, followed by Colombians (6.27 percent), Ecuadorians(4.43), and Bolivians (2.21).248 According to the Coordinator of Specialised Courts for humantrafficking, criminal organisations are parcelling out red light districts to, among others, extort
sex workers and sexually exploit them.249 The justice system sentenced 170 persons in 2022
and, between January and May 2023, 44 persons.250

Infobae, Trata de personas: uno de los delitos que mueve más millones en el Perú por la explotación sexual ylaboral, 28 March 2023, url; La República, Redes de trata aumentan en todo el país: hay 2.222 denuncias en lo que
va del 2023, 23 May 2023, url
241
La República, Redes de trata aumentan en todo el país: hay 2.222 denuncias en lo que va del 2023, 23 May
2023, url
242
La República, Redes de trata aumentan en todo el país: hay 2.222 denuncias en lo que va del 2023, 23 May
2023, url
243
Peru, Ministerio del Interior, Denuncias de trata de personas, March 2023, url
244Peru, Ministerio del Interior, Denuncias de trata de personas, March 2023, url
245
La República, Redes de trata aumentan en todo el país: hay 2.222 denuncias en lo que va del 2023, 23 May
2023, url; Valdés, Ricardo et al., Las economías criminales y su impacto en el Perú: ¿Cuáles? ¿Cuánto? ¿Dónde?
¿Cómo?, 2022, url, pp. 110-111
246
La República, Redes de trata aumentan en todo el país: hay 2.222 denuncias en lo que va del 2023, 23 May
2023, url
247
La República, Redes de trata aumentan en todo el país: hay 2.222 denuncias en lo que va del 2023, 23 May
2023, url; Valdés, Ricardo et al., Las economías criminales y su impacto en el Perú: ¿Cuáles? ¿Cuánto? ¿Dónde?
¿Cómo?, 2022, url, pp. 106-109
248
CHS Alternativo, En el Perú, el 85% de víctimas extranjeras de trata de personas son venezolanas, 5 September
2023, url
249
La República, Redes de trata aumentan en todo el país: hay 2.222 denuncias en lo que va del 2023, 23 May
2023, url
250
La República, Redes de trata aumentan en todo el país: hay 2.222 denuncias en lo que va del 2023, 23 May
2023, url
240

38

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

3.3.

Kidnapping

Sources indicated that kidnappings are increasing in the country.251 The Director of the
National Police indicated that, between January and June 2013, 99 kidnappings werereported in Lima, 25 in Arequipa, 24 in Lambayeque, 9 in Ica, 9 in Piura, 9 in Cusco, 9 inCajamarca, and 5 in Ayacucho.252 According to data provided by Willax TV, a Peruvian news
source, the following are among the places where most kidnappings have taken place in Lima:
Javier Prado Avenue, Bolognesi Plaza, Óvalo Grau, Puente Primavera, Puente Atocongo, andthe area around Carlos Izaguirre Avenue and Panamericana Norte.253 According to the
National Police, 3 398 kidnapping complaints were filed with authorities in 2022, about nine
kidnappings per day.254 The Director of the National Police indicated that the increasing
number of kidnappings is associated with the crime of extortion in the sense that criminalgroups are engaging in the kidnapping of victims that they used to extort to obtain higher
ransoms.255 Kidnappers usually start profiling victims according to their wealth and monitor
them through social media.256 Profiles of victims reported by sources include business owners,
restaurant owners, mayors,257 public servants, professionals,258 street vendors, warehouseowners, moto taxi drivers,259 and minors.260
Sources reported that ‘express kidnappings’ (‘secuestros al paso’) also occur.261 They consists
in kidnapping the victim for a few hours to empty the bank accounts of the victim.262 Express
kidnappings usually occur when the victim boards an illegal taxi and, once abroad, criminals
get into the taxi to force the victim to empty bank accounts.263 Sources reported on the case of
a National Superintendence of Customs and Tax Administration (SUNAT, Superintendencia
Expreso, PNP da a conocer cifras de secuestros: estos son los lugares con mayor incidencia, 18 July 2023, url; El
Comercio, Alerta por incremento de secuestros y casos que terminan en asesinato: ¿cuál es el perfil de loscriminales?, 28 May 2023, url
252
Willax TV, Estos son los lugares donde se reportan más secuestros en Lima, 18 July 2023, url; Expreso, PNP daa conocer cifras de secuestros: estos son los lugares con mayor incidencia, 18 July 2023, url
253
Willax TV, Estos son los lugares donde se reportan más secuestros en Lima, 18 July 2023, url
254
Panamericana Televisión, Alerta por incremento de secuestros en Perú: Solo en 2022 se registraron 3 398
denuncias, 10 May 2023, url; El Comercio, Alerta por incremento de secuestros y casos que terminan en asesinato:¿cuál es el perfil de los criminales?, 28 May 2023, url; Infobae, Ola de secuestros crece en Perú: Dueños derestaurantes, empresarios y hasta autoridades en la mira de los delincuentes, 11 May 2023, url
255
Panamericana Televisión, Alerta por incremento de secuestros en Perú: Solo en 2022 se registraron 3 398
denuncias, 10 May 2023, url; Infobae, Ola de secuestros crece en Perú: Dueños de restaurantes, empresarios yhasta autoridades en la mira de los delincuentes, 11 May 2023, url
256
Infobae, Secuestros en Perú: la lucha contra la impunidad y la inseguridad ciudadana continúa, 24 June 2023,
url
257
Infobae, Ola de secuestros crece en Perú: Dueños de restaurantes, empresarios y hasta autoridades en la mirade los delincuentes, 11 May 2023, url
258
El Comercio, Alerta por incremento de secuestros y casos que terminan en asesinato: ¿cuál es el perfil de loscriminales?, 28 May 2023, url
259
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión amenazan Lima y Callao: cuáles son los distritos más afectados por
este delito en ascenso, 23 June 2023, url
260
Expreso, PNP da a conocer cifras de secuestros: estos son los lugares con mayor incidencia, 18 July 2023, url;
La República, ¡Niños en mira de los secuestradores! Un total de 70 casos se han reportado en el país, 26 June
2022, url
261
Ojo, Secuestros tradicionales y exprés en el Perú aumentan: conoce los puntos, 2 April 2022, url; La República,
Volvieron los secuestros clásicos en Lima: ya van cinco casos, 28 April 2023, url
262
LIMAY.PE, Ola de secuestros crece en Lima: Estas son las modalidades, 19 March 2022, url; Ojo, Secuestros
tradicionales y exprés en el Perú aumentan: conoce los puntos, 2 April 2022, url
263
El Comercio, Aumentan secuestros de menores de edad en el país, 22 February 2022, url;
251

39

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Nacional de Administración Tributaria) employee who boarded an illegal taxi on 20 April
2023 in Lima and was kidnapped by members of Chinos de Agucho, a local Lima gang, who
forced her to reveal the passwords of her bank cards.264 She was killed the next day and her
body found in the locality of Ate.265 Authorities detained two suspects for the crime.266

3.4.

Extortion

Extortion is a problem in Peru.267 Infobae reported that, according to statistics by the National
Police, over 8 000 complaints for extortion were filed in 2022, an increase of 62 percent from2021.268 The Public Ministry reported 1 398 complaints in January 2023, or 45 cases perday.269 In many cases, victims of extortion do not file a complaint out of fear of retribution.270
The following are, among others, the extortion methods used by criminal gangs in Peru, asreported by sources:•

Cobro de cupos: Criminal organisations charge workers with a ‘fee’, which usuallyconsists of a percentage of their salary.271•

Cobro de cuotas: Extortion payment imposed on business owners and public
transportation companies and drivers for allowing them to operate in the criminalorganisation’s area of operation.272•

Chalequeo: An extortion payment masked as a ‘protection fee.’273

Infobae, ‘Loco David’, el cabecilla de la banda que mató a funcionaria de la SUNAT fue capturado, 20 May
2023, url; Perú21, Detienen a sospechosos del secuestro y asesinato de trabajadora de la Sunat en Ate, 2 May
2023, url
265
Infobae, ‘Loco David’, el cabecilla de la banda que mató a funcionaria de la SUNAT fue capturado, 20 May
2023, url; Perú21, Detienen a sospechosos del secuestro y asesinato de trabajadora de la Sunat en Ate, 2 May
2023, url
266
Infobae, ‘Loco David’, el cabecilla de la banda que mató a funcionaria de la SUNAT fue capturado, 20 May
2023, url; Perú21, Detienen a sospechosos del secuestro y asesinato de trabajadora de la Sunat en Ate, 2 May
2023, url
267
Infobae, Extorsión y sicariato sin control en Lima y regiones: por qué los delincuentes ganan cada vez másterreno y qué medidas tomar, 18 June 2023, url
268
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
269
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
270
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
271
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url; Valdés, Ricardo et al., Las economías criminales y su impacto
en el Perú: ¿Cuáles? ¿Cuánto? ¿Dónde? ¿Cómo?, 2022, url, p. 239
272
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url; Valdés, Ricardo et al., Las economías criminales y su impacto
en el Perú: ¿Cuáles? ¿Cuánto? ¿Dónde? ¿Cómo?, 2022, url, p. 239
273
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url; Valdés, Ricardo et al., Las economías criminales y su impacto
en el Perú: ¿Cuáles? ¿Cuánto? ¿Dónde? ¿Cómo?, 2022, url, p. 239
264

40

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS•

Telephone extortion: The most common type, is carried out throughWhatsApp/telephone calls or messages, demanding the deposit of the ‘fee’ in bankaccounts. Criminal organisations often use minors to carry out this type of extortion.274•

Extortive stickers: Mostly common in northern Peru, this type of extortion consists incharging an extortion payment to freightliners, transportation drivers, and drivers ingeneral, in exchange of an ‘sticker’ that must be placed in the vehicle to avoid further
problems.275•

Hijacking of vehicles: Criminals demand a payment for returning the vehicle to theowner; however, after the payment is done and the owner has the vehicle, the criminalorganisation starts to extort him or her with weekly payments. A sticker on the vehicle
is used to signal the payment of the extortion ‘fee.’276•

Fake kidnappings or accidents: Criminal organisations simulate the kidnapping or theaccident of a person and request the person’s family a payment for the person’s
release or assistance in the accident.277•

Loan sharking is one of the drivers of extortion,278 through ’drop-by-drop’ loans(Péstamos gota a gota) which are illegal loans made by criminal organisations withinterest rates of up to 500 percent.279 Criminal organisations have created mobile
applications to receive loan applications, and make loans often with the only
requirement of providing the national identification document.280 Payments are madedaily and non-payment results in threats, harassment, and violence.281 Sources
reported that such loans are also made without the person’s consent and loan sharks
start to threaten the person with violence, damages to property, sabotaging his or her
source of income if no payment is made,282 and extorting the victim’s family members
or friends.283 According to a study by the Peruvian Institute of Economy (IPE, Instituto
Peruano de Economía), a think tank based in Peru, around 22 percent of informal

Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url; El Peruano, PNP intensifica operativos en todo el país para
desarticular mafias de extorsionadores, 30 June 2023, url; Valdés, Ricardo et al., Las economías criminales y su
impacto en el Perú: ¿Cuáles? ¿Cuánto? ¿Dónde? ¿Cómo?, 2022, url, p. 239
275
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url; UNDiario, Hombre de 19 Años fue Detenido con Stickers,
Municiones y Celulares Usados para Extorsión, 28 June 2023, url
276
Valdés, Ricardo et al., Las economías criminales y su impacto en el Perú: ¿Cuáles? ¿Cuánto? ¿Dónde? ¿Cómo?,2022, url, p. 239
277
El Peruano, PNP intensifica operativos en todo el país para desarticular mafias de extorsionadores, 30 June
2023, url
278
La República, Llamadas de extorsión: ¿cómo denunciar este delito ante la PNP?, 30 June 2023, url; Infobae,
Préstamos ‘gota a gota’ en Perú: conoce las aplicaciones que ofrecen estos créditos peligrosos, 2 June 2023, url
279
Infobae, Préstamos ‘gota a gota’ en Perú: conoce las aplicaciones que ofrecen estos créditos peligrosos, 2 June
2023, url; IPE, El mercado de créditos informales en el Perú, 5 June 2023, url
280
For a list of some of the applications, see: Infobae, Préstamos ‘gota a gota’ en Perú: conoce las aplicaciones que
ofrecen estos créditos peligrosos, 2 June 2023, url
281
Peru, Ministerio del Interior, “El préstamo gota a gota es un delito”, 16 August 2023, url; Infobae, Préstamos ‘gota
a gota’ en Perú: conoce las aplicaciones que ofrecen estos créditos peligrosos, 2 June 2023, url
282
Infobae, Préstamos ‘gota a gota’ en Perú: conoce las aplicaciones que ofrecen estos créditos peligrosos, 2 June
2023, url; La República, Préstamos gota a gota: delincuentes obligan a víctimas y sus contactos a pagar dinero no
solicitado, 16 April 2023, url
283
La República, Préstamos gota a gota: delincuentes obligan a víctimas y sus contactos a pagar dinero no
solicitado, 16 April 2023, url
274

41

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

loans in Peru are via loan sharks and 49 percent of people who received such a loan
pay upwards 500 percent of interests.284
Extortion is also carried out through posted letters, and later evolve into threats of death
against victims or their family members.285 Contract killings, the burning of property, and thethrowing of explosives at the victim’s property are carried out when extortion payments are
not made.286 Latina Noticias reported an example on 22 April 2023 where a gang made up of
Peruvian nationals and foreigners torched two moto taxis in Comas after the owners refused
to pay over 150 soles (37 EUR) per week.287
Victims of extortion, as reported by sources, included affluent persons, blue-collar workers,
street vendors, public transit drivers, public servants, members of security forces, artists,
owners of small businesses and pharmacies,288 former football players, fashion models, andwarehouse owners.289 According to a security expert consulted by Infobae, criminalorganisations are currently targeting any person they can get their contact information from.290
Extortion amounts vary according to the situation: small business owners and public transit
drivers in some areas, for example, can be extorted with a ‘protection’ payment of 50 soles (13EUR) per week.291 Public transit companies are extorted with payments ranging from 5 (1.24
EUR) soles for drivers and upwards 15 000 soles (3 700 EUR) for companies.292 An Infobae
article reported that a fashion model was extorted with 50 000 soles (12 334 EUR) andthreatened the victim with killing her son if she refused to pay.293 An Infobae news article
provided the example of a councillor of the Comas district, Lima, who was extorted with 500
soles (123 EUR) per week by a local gang in exchange for ‘protection’ and received athreatening phone call for skipping a payment.294 According to a small business owner who
filed a complaint for extortion with the National Police, at least 1 000 local small businesses in
Chiclayo, Lima, were being victims of extortion.295

IPE, El mercado de créditos informales en el Perú, 5 June 2023, url
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
286
Infobae, Extorsión y sicariato sin control en Lima y regiones: por qué los delincuentes ganan cada vez másterreno y qué medidas tomar, 18 June 2023, url; Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el
Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones a empresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
287
Latina Noticias, Comas: extorsionadores queman mototaxis de víctimas, 22 April 2023, url
288
Infobae, Extorsión y sicariato sin control en Lima y regiones: por qué los delincuentes ganan cada vez másterreno y qué medidas tomar, 18 June 2023, url
289
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión amenazan Lima y Callao: cuáles son los distritos más afectados por
este delito en ascenso, 22 June 2023, url
290
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
291
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
292
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
293
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y cobran millones aempresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023, url
294
Infobae, Extorsión y sicariato sin control en Lima y regiones: por qué los delincuentes ganan cada vez másterreno y qué medidas tomar, 18 June 2023, url
295
Infobae, Extorsión y sicariato sin control en Lima y regiones: por qué los delincuentes ganan cada vez másterreno y qué medidas tomar, 18 June 2023, url
284

285

42

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

The report produced by Valdés et al provided an estimate of the intensity of extortion by
province, based on information from a variety of sources consulted by the authors:

Map 4. Intensity of extortion, by department.296

3.5.

Armed and criminal groups

3.5.1.

Criminal groups

Tren de Aragua
Tren de Aragua is Venezuela’s most powerful and largest criminal organisation.297 It has
between 4 000 and 5 000 members, under a solid hierarchy,298 and has branches in several
countries in the Americas, including Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Brazil,299 andValdés, Ricardo et al., Las economías criminales y su impacto en el Perú: ¿Cuáles? ¿Cuánto? ¿Dónde? ¿Cómo?,2022, url, p. 237. Legend: Very Affected (Muy afectadas) and Affected (Afectadas).
297
InSight Crime, Tren de Aragua, 14 February 2023, url; Transparencia Venezuela, Economías ilícitas: Al amparo
de la corrupción, June 2022, url, p. 104; Infobae, Extorsión, prostitución, asesinatos, robos y narcotráfico: la banda
venezolana “Tren de Aragua” se convirtió en una multinacional del crimen, 1 April 2023, url
298
Transparencia Venezuela, Economías ilícitas: Al amparo de la corrupción, June 2022, url, p. 104; Infobae,
Extorsión, prostitución, asesinatos, robos y narcotráfico: la banda venezolana “Tren de Aragua” se convirtió en una
multinacional del crimen, 1 April 2023, url
299
InSight Crime, Tren de Aragua, 14 February 2023, url; Transparencia Venezuela, Economías ilícitas: Al amparo
de la corrupción, June 2022, url, p. 104; Infobae, Extorsión, prostitución, asesinatos, robos y narcotráfico: la banda
venezolana “Tren de Aragua” se convirtió en una multinacional del crimen, 1 April 2023, url
296

43EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Costa Rica.300 The main leader is Héctor Guerrero, also known as ‘Niño Guerrero’, imprisonedin Aragua state, Venezuela, and he has lieutenants also in jail who control criminal activities
carried out by the organisation within Venezuela and abroad.301 Tren de Aragua’s main
criminal activities in Peru include kidnapping, extortion, sexual exploitation, drug trafficking,302
migrant smuggling, contraband, and arms trafficking.303 Despite efforts by authorities tocombat this criminal organisation, Tren de Aragua’s adaptability and economic power havecontributed to its strengthening.304 In Lima, Tren de Aragua operates in districts including
Comas, San Martín de Porres, Los Olivos, Independencia, San Juan de Miraflores, Chorrillos,
Ate, and Villa El Salvador.305
Sources indicated that several factions of Tren de Aragua operate in Peru, including Los
Gallegos,306 La Cota 95, Puros Hermanos Sicarios, Los Palmitos,307 Los Hijos de Dios, andGuerrilla Pobre.308 According to Infobae, each faction possesses its own structure and criminal
objectives.309 According to the National Police, these factions are subordinated to Tren deAragua but can engage in direct confrontations among each other to gain access to areas
with profitable illegal activities.310 La Cota 95, for example, which originated in Venezuela,
operates in the San Martín de Porres district311 and is fighting against another faction of Trende Aragua in Lima to exert control over the illegal economies dedicated to sexual exploitationand extortion.312 La Cota 95 is engaged in extortion, sexual exploitation, contract killings,

Transparencia Venezuela, Economías ilícitas: Al amparo de la corrupción, June 2022, url, p. 104; Infobae,
Extorsión, prostitución, asesinatos, robos y narcotráfico: la banda venezolana “Tren de Aragua” se convirtió en una
multinacional del crimen, 1 April 2023, url
301
InSight Crime, Tren de Aragua, 14 February 2023, url; Transparencia Venezuela, Economías ilícitas: Al amparo dela corrupción, June 2022, url, pp. 106-107; Infobae, Extorsión, prostitución, asesinatos, robos y narcotráfico: labanda venezolana “Tren de Aragua” se convirtió en una multinacional del crimen, 1 April 2023, url
302
InSight Crime, Tren de Aragua, 14 February 2023, url; Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas
otras bandas extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima operan, 5 June 2023, url
303
InSight Crime, Tren de Aragua, 14 February 2023, url
304
InSight Crime, Tren de Aragua, 14 February 2023, url; Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas
otras bandas extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima operan, 5 June 2023, url; La República, Ronna Rísquez: "El tren
de Aragua se expande por el amplio portafolio de delitos que tienen", 13 August 2023, url
305
Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima
operan, 5 June 2023, url. For additional information on the Tren de Aragua, see the book by Venezuelan journalist
Ronna Rísquez, El Tren de Aragua: la banda que revoluciona el crimen organizado en América Latina, 2023.
306
Infobae, Tren de Aragua en Perú: se identificó a los líderes que operan con la explotación sexual en nuestro
país, 29 May 2023, url; El Comercio, Red criminal ‘Tren de Aragua’ se extiende de forma imparable en Perú: ya
están en 10 regiones, 26 July 2023, url
307
Infobae, Tren de Aragua en Perú: se identificó a los líderes que operan con la explotación sexual en nuestro
país, 29 May 2023, url
308
El Comercio, Red criminal ‘Tren de Aragua’ se extiende de forma imparable en Perú: ya están en 10 regiones, 26
July 2023, url
309
Infobae, Tren de Aragua en Perú: se identificó a los líderes que operan con la explotación sexual en nuestro
país, 29 May 2023, url
310
Infobae, Tren de Aragua en Perú: se identificó a los líderes que operan con la explotación sexual en nuestro
país, 29 May 2023, url
311
Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima
operan, 5 June 2023, url; La República, ¿Quiénes lideran la organización criminal 'Tren de Aragua' en el Perú?, 28
May 2023, url
312
Trome, La Cota 95: Cae venezolano por asesinato de compatriota en hotel de Breña, 10 June 2023, url; Infobae,
La guerra de bandas del ‘Tren de Aragua’ en Perú: muertes y extorsión por las ‘zona rosas’ de Lima, 3 June 2023,
url
300

44

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among other crimes.313 For additional information on Tren de Aragua, see EUAA COI report
Venezuela: Country Focus (2023).
Los Tiguerones
Originating in Ecuador, Los Tiguerones is expanding its criminal activities in Peru from
Guayaquil, Ecuador, where it has ties with the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG, Cartel
Jalisco Nueva Generación)314 and FARC dissident groups from Colombia.315 It operates in San
martin de Porres and Comas and its engaged in street-level drug trafficking, robberies,316
sexual and labour exploitation, contract killing, extortion,317 smuggling, and trafficking of
weapons.318 Many members in Lima are Ecuadorian citizens residing in the country without
immigration status319 and all members are required to have a tiger tattoo, which is used as an
identity marker.320 Los Tiguerones is reportedly engaged in armed confrontations with Tren deAragua for the control of illicit economies in northern Lima.321
Los Malditos del Cono
Originating in Venezuela as a splinter of Tren de Aragua, this criminal organisation operates innorthern Lima and is dedicated to sexual exploitation of Venezuelan, Colombian and
Ecuadorian women.322 It also engages in contract killing, kidnapping, extortion, and street-

Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima
operan, 5 June 2023, url; América Noticias, Banda criminal La Cota 905 es sindicada como responsable del doble
crimen en Pasamayito, 4 June 2023, url
314
VICE News, Mexican Cartels Are Turning Once-Peaceful Ecuador Into a Narco War Zone, 17 April 2023, url;Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima operan,
5 June 2023, url. See also: InSight Crime, Guerra de pandillas rompe récord de asesinatos al norte de Ecuador, 28
October 2022, url
315
El Universo, Los Tiguerones llegaron a Perú y mantienen disputas con el Tren de Aragua, alertan autoridades deese país, 13 March 2023, url; Swissinfo.ch, En libertad líder criminal de Ecuador que relacionan con disidencias de
FARC, 18 April 2023, url
316
Panorama, ¡Exclusivo! Regreso de “Los Tiguerones”: Sanguinario asesino ecuatoriano tenía DNI original
peruano, 9 July 2023, url; Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas extranjeras y enqué zonas de Lima operan, 5 June 2023, url
317
Panorama, ¡Exclusivo! Regreso de “Los Tiguerones”: Sanguinario asesino ecuatoriano tenía DNI original
peruano, 9 July 2023, url; Infobae, ‘Los Tiguerones’: así opera la banda criminal que ya se encuentra en Perú, 11
July 2023, url
318
El Universo, Los Tiguerones llegaron a Perú y mantienen disputas con el Tren de Aragua, alertan autoridades deese país, 13 March 2023, url
319
La República, Los Tiguerones: ¿cómo opera la banda ecuatoriana qué rivaliza con el Tren de Aragua en Perú?, 17
July 2023, url
320
Panorama, ¡Exclusivo! Regreso de “Los Tiguerones”: Sanguinario asesino ecuatoriano tenía DNI original
peruano, 9 July 2023, url; Infobae, ‘Los Tiguerones’: así opera la banda criminal que ya se encuentra en Perú, 11
July 2023, url
321
Panorama, ¡Exclusivo! Regreso de “Los Tiguerones”: Sanguinario asesino ecuatoriano tenía DNI original
peruano, 9 July 2023, url; Infobae, ‘Los Tiguerones’: así opera la banda criminal que ya se encuentra en Perú, 11
July 2023, url
322
Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima
operan, 5 June 2023, url. See also: La República, PNP: bandas extranjeras tienen el control de 33 plazas en 14
distritos de Lima, 26 June 2023, url
313

45EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

level drug trafficking.323 In January 2023, its leader was captured by the National Police inLince, Lima.324
La Dinastía Alayón
Venezuelan gang operating in the districts of San Juan de Lurigancho and Lince, Lima, anddedicated to sexual exploitation.325 This gang, alongside other gangs operating in Lima,
divided the streets of several districts into ‘plots’ (lotes) to control sexual workers and victimsof sexual exploitation.326 The gangs charge 900 soles [222 EUR] for letting them work in the‘plots’ and extort them with payments that range from 200 soles [50 EUR]327 to 300 soles [74EUR] per week.328
Gangs involved in loan sharks
Los Bravos del Gota a Gota is dedicated to extortion derived from loan sharks.329 Based in
Chorrillos, this group threatens victims and their family members if extortion payments are notmade.330 This band was reportedly dismantled by authorities in April 2023.331 Other gangs
engaged in extortions from loan sharks include Los Parceros del Gota a Gota and Los
Malandros del Cono Norte.332
Los Cagaleches de Virú
Criminal gang operating in the province of Virú dedicated to the extorsion of farmers andtransportation and construction companies.333 This gang reportedly engaged in the nationwide
protests by installing barricades, charging extortion fees to transportation companies, looting
La República, Caen 8 integrantes de la banda criminal Los Malditos del Cono, 24 January 2023, url; Amércia
Noticias, Desarticulan banda criminal dedicada a la trata de personas, 25 January 2023, url
324
La República, PNP captura a 'Mamut', líder de una banda de extorsión y trata de personas en Lima Norte, 30
January 2023, url; Infobae, Lo que está detrás de la mafia que extorsionaba a trabajadoras sexuales venezolanasen los distritos de Lima Norte, 2 February 2023, url
325
Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima
operan, 5 June 2023, url; Perú21, Mafia venezolana controlaría la prostitución en Lince y otros distritos de Lima, 20
February 2022, url
326
Panamericana Televisión, Identifican a las cinco mafias extranjeras que se disputan el control de la prostitución
en Lima, 27 February 2022, url; Perú21, Mafia venezolana controlaría la prostitución en Lince y otros distritos deLima, 20 February 2022, url
327
Perú21, Mafia venezolana controlaría la prostitución en Lince y otros distritos de Lima, 20 February 2022, url.
See also: Panamericana Televisión, Identifican a las cinco mafias extranjeras que se disputan el control de laprostitución en Lima, 27 February 2022, url
328
Panamericana Televisión, Identifican a las cinco mafias extranjeras que se disputan el control de la prostitución
en Lima, 27 February 2022, url
329
Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima
operan, 5 June 2023, url; Andina, “Gota a Gota”: Policía Nacional intensifica operativos contra extorsionadores en
el país, 1 May 2023, url
330
Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas extranjeras y en qué zonas de Lima
operan, 5 June 2023, url
331
Andina, “Gota a Gota”: Policía Nacional intensifica operativos contra extorsionadores en el país, 1 May 2023, url;Infobae, La guerra del ‘gota a gota’: mafias colombianas y venezolanas desatan el terror por el control del negociode préstamos extorsivos, 2 May 2023, url
332
Infobae, La guerra del ‘gota a gota’: mafias colombianas y venezolanas desatan el terror por el control delnegocio de préstamos extorsivos, 2 May 2023, url; Andina, “Gota a Gota”: Policía Nacional intensifica operativos
contra extorsionadores en el país, 1 May 2023, url
333
El Comercio, Extorsión y cobro de cupos en piquetes de carreteras: la historia de los ‘peajes’ paralelos, 28
January 2023, url
323

46

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

trucks, and forcing drivers of transportation companies transiting through the area to buy thestolen merchandise at higher prices.334
Other criminal gangs operating in Lima include Los Hijos de Dios and Dinastía Sur-Gallegos.335

3.5.2.

Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and Militarized Communist
Party of Peru (MPCP, Militarizado Partido Comunista del Perú)

Shining Path was created in 1970 as a Maoist guerrilla and, according to the Truth andReconciliation Commission336, was responsible for 54 percent of the 61 007 to 77 552 deaths
that occurred during the internal conflict between May 1980 and November 2000.337 Shining
Path is the last remaining guerrilla group in the country and has been declining over theyears.338
The Militarized Communist Party of Peru (MPCP, Militarizado Partido Comunista del Perú) is
the leading faction of the Shining Path after its disintegration in 1992.339 It has presence in the
VRAEM region,340 particularly the departments of Junín, Ayacucho, and Huancavelica.341 The
VRAEM region is a strategic area for the harvesting of coca and the production of cocaine.342
Several of its leaders have been killed by authorities since 2011, and it is estimated that thegroup has between 250 and upwards 1 200 members.343 Among the activities carried out by
MPCP include the charging of protection ‘fees’ to drug traffickers; ‘social cleansing’ activities
to kill drug addicts, thieves, kidnappers, corrupt officials, and LGBT persons344; and armed
confrontations with state authorities.345 In May 2021, MPCP killed 16 people in the departmentof Junín, leaving pamphlets indicating that the killing was part of a ‘social cleansing’ campaign
aimed at ‘cleansing the VRAEM from dens, parasites, and corrupt persons,’ and demanded
residents of the area to abstain from voting in the second round of the presidential
El Comercio, Extorsión y cobro de cupos en piquetes de carreteras: la historia de los ‘peajes’ paralelos, 28
January 2023, url
335
La República, PNP: bandas extranjeras tienen el control de 33 plazas en 14 distritos de Lima, 26 June 2023, url
336
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CVR, Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación) was established in2001 to investigate ‘assassinations, torture, disappearances, displacement, employment of terrorist methods andother violations attributable to the State, the Shining Path and the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement between
May 1980 and November 2000.’ USIP, Truth Commission: Peru 01, Truth Commissions Digital Collection, 13 July
2001, url
337
USIP, Truth Commission: Peru 01, Truth Commissions Digital Collection, 13 July 2001, url; InSight Crime, Peru,
n.d, url
338
InSight Crime, Shining Path on the Offensive in Peru, Again, 21 March 2023, url
339
BBC, Qué es el Militarizado Partido Comunista de Perú (MPCP) al que le atribuyen la matanza de 16 personas en
Vraem (y qué relación tiene con Sendero Luminoso), 26 May 2021, url; InSight Crime, Shining Path on the Offensive
in Peru, Again, 21 March 2023, url
340
InSight Crime, Shining Path on the Offensive in Peru, Again, 21 March 2023, url; La República, ¿Qué es elMilitarizado Partido Comunista del Perú, presunto responsable de la matanza de 16 personas en el Vraem?, 23
November 2021, url
341
InSight Crime, Peru, n.d, url
342
InSight Crime, Shining Path on the Offensive in Peru, Again, 21 March 2023, url
343
BBC, Qué es el Militarizado Partido Comunista de Perú (MPCP) al que le atribuyen la matanza de 16 personas en
Vraem (y qué relación tiene con Sendero Luminoso), 26 May 2021, url
344
BBC, Qué es el Militarizado Partido Comunista de Perú (MPCP) al que le atribuyen la matanza de 16 personas en
Vraem (y qué relación tiene con Sendero Luminoso), 26 May 2021, url
345
InSight Crime, Shining Path on the Offensive in Peru, Again, 21 March 2023, url; AFP, At least six killed in Peru
clash with Shining Path, 18 March 2023, url; Perú Reports, 7 Peruvian police killed by alleged Shining Path rebels, 14
February 2023, url; BBC, Peru's Shining Path kills 16, including children, ahead of polls, 25 May 2021, url
334

47

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

elections.346 In February 2023, the MPCP ambushed a military vehicle killing six officers andinjuring one.347

3.6.

State response

In May 2023, the National Police executed 26 188 police operations and dismantled 241
gangs dedicated to crimes such as extortion, shark-loaning, and drug trafficking, and detained
1 428 persons, many of them with pending arrest warrants.348 In June 2023, the National
police dismantled 117 criminal groups dedicated to extortion and theft in La Libertad, arresting
363 persons.349 According to the INEI report on criminality statistics, authorities dismantled
4 966 criminal groups in 2022, 4 158 in 2021, and 3 365 in 2020.350
Some of the operations made by authorities against criminal groups, as reported by sources,
include:•On 13 August 2023, the Ministry of the Interior reported that a gang called Los
Llaneros de la Extorsión, dedicated to loan sharking and extortion in Chorrillos, Lima,
was dismantled by the National Police. Five persons among Colombian and
Venezuelan nationals were detained.351•

On 24 May 2023, W Radio, a Colombian news source, reported that Colombian andPeruvian authorities dismantled the gang Los Gallegos, which is allied to Tren deAragua, and captured five persons. The gang was dedicated to the trafficking in
women to Peru to subject them to sexual exploitation.352•

On 11 May 2023, El Peruano, the official newspaper of the Peruvian government,
reported that the gang Los Sicarios de la Red, dedicated to cybercrime, includinginternet fraud, was dismantled by authorities. The 11 persons detained operated in
Lima, Callao, Áncash, and Arequipa.353•

On 18 April 2023, La República reported the detention of 61 alleged members of Trende Aragua in the district of Chosica, Lima.354•

On 2 December 2022, Peruvian news source Diario Correo reported that the Public
Ministry and the National Police detained five members of the gang Los Sanguinarios,
La Nueva Sangre dedicated to extortion in Chimbote.355

Infobae, Camarada ‘Carlos’ sería el autor de la matanza de siete policías en el VRAEM, 13 February 2023, url;
Reuters, Sendero Luminoso mata a 16 personas en Perú, dicen militares; ONU rechaza ataque, 24 May 2021, url
347
Página 12, Matan a siete policías en una emboscada en Perú, 13 February 2023, url; Infobae, Camarada ‘Carlos’
sería el autor de la matanza de siete policías en el VRAEM, 13 February 2023, url
348
El Peruano, Policía desarticula 240 bandas criminales, 9 May 2023, url; TVPE Noticias, PNP desarticula más de
240 bandas organizadas a nivel nacional, 8 May 2023, url
349
RPP, La Libertad: Policía Nacional desarticuló más de 100 presuntas bandas criminales en el mes de junio, 3 July
2023, url; Andina, La Libertad: Policía Nacional desarticuló más de 100 bandas criminales en junio, 3 July 2023, url
350
Peru, INEI, Estadísticas de la criminalidad, seguridad ciudadana y violencia: Una visión desde los registros
administrativos, Enero – Marzo 2023, Informe Técnico No. 2 – Junio 2023, June 2023, url, p. 2
351
Peru, Ministerio del Interior, Desarticulan banda “Los Llaneros de la Extorsión” en Chorrillos, 13 August 2023, url
352
W Radio, Desarticulan banda de trata de personas vinculada con el Tren de Aragua, 24 May 2023, url
353
El Peruano, Desarticulan banda criminal dedicada al fraude informático en Lima, Callao, Áncash y Arequipa, 11
May 2023, url
354
La República, Caen 61 presuntos miembros del ‘Tren de Aragua’ en casa de Chosica, 18 April 2023, url
355
Diario Correo, Chimbote: Desarticulan banda dedicada a la extorsión, 2 December 2022, url
346

48

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS•

On 5 August 2022, TVPE Noticias reported that the Public Ministry and the National
Police dismantled a criminal organisation in Lima dedicated to sexual exploitation andtrafficking in women. Eight people were detained.356

Ojo Público cited the General Director of the General Directorate Against Organised Crime as
indicating that despite the dismantling of a number of criminal organisations, criminal activities
are increasing in the country.357 Police officers also lack resources and equipment to combat
criminal organisations, are slow to respond, and do not conduct efficient investigations.358
Government presence in remote areas of the Andes and Amazon is scant,359 and inhabitants
have organised around peasant armed groups called rondas campesinas and Self-defence
Committees (CAD, Comités de Autodefensa).360 Some indigenous communities have alsoorganised around the CADs to defend their communities from drug traffickers, illegal miners,
and illegal deforestation.361 Several NGOs have raised objections to the 2022 law that created
the CADs as it puts these communities at risk from further violence when it is the responsibilityof the National Police and other authorities to provide them with protection. 362

TVPE Noticias, Autoridades desarticulan banda dedicada a la trata de personas y explotación sexual demujeres, 5 August 2022, url
357
Ojo Público, Sonia Medina: “En Perú las organizaciones criminales nos están llevando la avanzada”, 9 July 2023,
url
358
USDOS, Peru Country Security Report, 30 September 2022, url
359
USDOS, Peru Country Security Report, 30 September 2022, url
360
BBC, Qué son los Comités de Autodefensa, la “policía paralela” que recupera poder en Perú, 8 July 2022, url
361
BBC, Qué son los Comités de Autodefensa, la “policía paralela” que recupera poder en Perú, 8 July 2022, url;
Grupo Propuesta Ciudadana, Rechazamos la “Ley de comités de autodefensa” que vulnera la autonomía comunal
y promueve la violencia y el uso de armas, n.d., url
362
Grupo Propuesta Ciudadana, Rechazamos la “Ley de comités de autodefensa” que vulnera la autonomía
comunal y promueve la violencia y el uso de armas, n.d., url
356

49EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

4.

Domestic violence and gender-based
violence

4.1.

Prevalence and social attitudes

Violence against women remained ‘widespread’ in the country,363 including issues of domestic
violence, femicide, ‘obstetric violence’, sexual violence, and disappearances of women.364
About half of women have reported instances of physical, sexual, or emotional violence.365
Due to prevailing attitudes about women, victims and families of disappeared womencomplained of humiliation in their search for missing female relatives, ‘especially in police
stations.’366
High rates of rape and sexual violence, especially against teen girls, led to higher rates offorced pregnancy and maternal mortality rates in rural areas, due to the criminalisation ofabortion, except in cases where the woman’s life or health is in danger.367
There were 240 875 complaints of domestic violence made in 2021.368 Disappearances ofwomen was a ‘serious problem’ in Peru, with the Office of the Ombudsperson reporting that in
the first 9 months of 2021, 4 463 female adults and children went missing.369 There were 166
femicides in 2019,370 141 in 2021,371 and 135 femicides were reported in 2022.372 Femicides
were primarily related to domestic violence.373

4.2.

Legislation and state protection

Domestic violence is prohibited under the law with criminal penalties from one month to six
months in prison.374 Rape of women and men is against the law, including spousal rape, and is
penalised by 14 years to life in prison.375 Femicide is defined under the law as the killing of awoman or girl due to her gender, and is punished by a minimum sentence of usually 20 years,

Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url; UN Human Rights Committee, Concluding
observations on the sixth periodic report of Peru (CCPR/C/PER/CO/6), 5 April 2023, url, Paras. 22364
UN Human Rights Committee, Concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of Peru (CCPR/C/PER/CO/6),
5 April 2023, url, Paras. 22, 24
365
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
366
IPS, Missing Women in Peru – A Pain that Never Ends, 22 June 2022, url; See also: Baker Mckenzie, Fighting
Domestic Violence – Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru, 2021, url, pp. 7-8
367
UN Human Rights Committee, Concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of Peru (CCPR/C/PER/CO/6),
5 April 2023, url, Paras. 22, 24
368
Peru, 141 victims of femicide in Peru in 2021, December 2022, url
369
IPS, Missing Women in Peru – A Pain that Never Ends, 22 June 2022, url
370
IPS, Missing Women in Peru – A Pain that Never Ends, 22 June 2022, url
371
Peru, 141 victims of femicide in Peru in 2021, December 2022, url
372
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Peru, 2023, url
373
Peru, 141 victims of femicide in Peru in 2021, December 2022, url
374
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 14
375
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 13
363

50

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

or 30 years with aggravating circumstances, including when the victim is a child, elder, orpregnant.376
Abortion is illegal under the Penal Code.377 The only abortion that is permitted is called‘therapeutic abortion’ and only applies when the life of ‘the pregnant woman [is at risk] or to
avoid serious and permanent damage to her health.’378 Abortion for pregnancies from rape ispenalised by law.379

4.2.1.

Reporting and seeking assistance

Violence against women and girls of a sexual, physical, and psychological nature was a‘serious, underreported national problem.’380 Statistically, 71 percent of female victims ofviolence against women do not file charges.381 Reasons for not seeking state assistanceincluded shame, not knowing where to go, fear, negative experiences of reporting, and lack ofaction by available entities.382
Victims of violence may approach the following entities for assistance: National Police of Peru,
mixed family courts or local justices of peace, Public Ministry, Office of the Ombudsperson,
Women’s Emergency Centres (CEM, Centro de Emergencia Mujer), Hotline 100, Chat 100,Urgent Care Services, or the General Attorney Office’s Hotline.383 The National Police run acomplaints office and 1818 helpline for victims.384

4.2.2.

State protection

Peru has an extensive legislative framework, regulations and national plans on issues ofviolence against women.385 Legislative Decree No. 1323 (2017) is aimed at strengthening
measures to tackle femicide, domestic violence and gender-based violence and establishing
new offences and aggravating circumstances; 386 The National Gender Equality Policy was
adopted by Supreme Decree No. 008-2019- MIMP of 4 April 2019.387 The policy aims to
reduce violence against women, institutional barriers, and discrimination against women. 388

USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, pp. 13-16; Baker Mckenzie,Fighting Domestic Violence – Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru, 2021, url, pp. 27-28
377Peru, Código Penal, Decreto Legislativo No. 635, 1991 (amended 2018), url, Arts. 114-120
378
Peru, Código Penal, Decreto Legislativo No. 635, 1991 (amended 2018), url, Art. 119
379
France 24, Acceso al aborto en Perú: sigue la lucha por los derechos de las menores víctimas de violación, 13
August 2023, url; HRW, Peru Should Provide Comprehensive Reproductive Care for Girls, 20 June 2023, url
380
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, pp. 13-16
381
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, pp. 13-16
382
Baker Mckenzie, Fighting Domestic Violence – Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru, 2021, url, p. 7
383
Baker Mckenzie, Fighting Domestic Violence – Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru, 2021, url, pp. 6-7
384
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, pp. 13-16
385
For a full list, see: Baker Mckenzie, Fighting Domestic Violence – Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru, 2021,
url, pp. 1-5
386
UN Human Rights Committee, Concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of Peru (CCPR/C/PER/CO/6),
5 April 2023, url, Pp. 1-2
387
UN Human Rights Committee, Concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of Peru (CCPR/C/PER/CO/6),
5 April 2023, url, Pp. 1-2
388Peru, National report submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1 and 16/21(A/HRC/WG.6/42/PER/1), 1 November 2022, url, Para. 93
376

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

The Law 30364 on the Prevention, sanction, and eradication of violence against women andfamily members is charged with coordinating and organising the actions of the state toprevent violence against women and protect victims.389 Victims are also entitled to a numberof civil and criminal remedies for domestic violence under the legal framework of Law
30364.390 The law provides for a special judicial process for reporting, applying for protection,
investigating, prosecuting and sentencing perpetrators.391 The process involves aguardianship stage (where timely action is guaranteed by the state through protective
measures imposed in the event of a threat or act of violence), and a criminal stage, conductedby the Public Prosecutor’s Office and criminal judge.392
Under the law against domestic violence, judges and prosecutors may prevent a convictedperson returning to the family home, as well as authorise complaints of domestic violence byrelatives of the victim or unrelated persons living in the home. The law also obliges authorities
to ‘extend protection to female victims of domestic violence.’393 The government of Peru
indicated that ‘under the specialized national system of justice for the protection of womenand family members from violence and the punishment of perpetrators, the Ministry of Justiceand Human Rights has 133 public defenders specialising in victim defence who assist womenand their family members, and 86 public defenders specialised in legal assistance in mattersrelating to acts of violence against them, for example alimony, tenure and filiation.’394
Where there is the presence of a Specialised Police Commission on Protection against Family
Violence, they are the primary policing body dealing with domestic violence; where they are
not present, the local police station is involved in primary policing responsibility. This includes
registering the complaint, assessing the situation, making arrests, arranging for CEM
involvement, and escorting parties to the police station.395
However, enforcement of legislation against domestic violence was described as ‘lax’
according to civil society groups. ‘Enforcement of sexual and domestic violence laws wasinadequate, often at the discretion of the relevant authorities, according to gender-based
violence experts. Undue dismissals of charges were allegedly common,’ according to
USDOS.396 Mechanisms of the state to assist victims did not work effectively in some cases.397
Legal sanctions are ‘not usually proportional to the severity of the harm caused’ and‘reparations are also not comprehensive or effective’ in cases of domestic violence.398 Women
victims who did turn to police and make complaints were reported to ‘suffer significant levels

Peru, MIMP, Sistema Nacional, n.d., url
For a full list of these measures, see: Baker Mckenzie, Fighting Domestic Violence – Latin America and the
Caribbean: Peru, 2021, url, pp. 9-10391Peru, MIMP, Esquema Procesal de la Ley No 30364 “Ley para Prevenir, Sanctionar y Erradicar la Violencia contra
las Mujeres y los integrantes del Grupo Familiar, 2016, url
392
Baker Mckenzie, Fighting Domestic Violence – Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru, 2021, url, p. 6; for
information on the substance of protection orders, see pp. 18-21 of the same source.
393
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, pp. 13-16
394Peru, National report submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1 and 16/21(A/HRC/WG.6/42/PER/1), 1 November 2022, url, para. 105
395
Baker Mckenzie, Fighting Domestic Violence – Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru, 2021, url, p. 23
396
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, pp. 13-16
397
Baker Mckenzie, Fighting Domestic Violence – Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru, 2021, url, p. 7
398
Baker Mckenzie, Fighting Domestic Violence – Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru, 2021, url, p. 7
389

390

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of victimisation due to the abandonment of the government,’ police attitudes, and corruption,
which hampered police action.399
Police action to enforce the laws on femicide were also described as ‘weak and slow’ withprosecution being described as ‘often lengthy and ineffective.’400
On witness protection in cases of sexual violence, USDOS reported that ‘Provincial
prosecutorial offices are required by law to incorporate survivors into the national Victims andWitness Assistance Program or to request required protection measures from the court;
however, an NGO reported 15 percent of criminal prosecutors did not make these requests.’401

4.2.3.

Hotlines and shelters

In 2019, the government adopted a protocol on ‘joint action by women’s emergency centres,
police stations and police stations specializing in protection against domestic violence’, and asof December 2021, there were 46 police stations specialising in family issues across 23 police
regions. These centres provide ‘specialised services’ to women and family victims ofviolence.402
There were 430 service centres for victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and othercrimes such as sex trafficking which were run by the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable
Populations, and nearly half of them were embedded within police stations. Some of theservices available in some centres included short-term shelter, legal, psychological, and social
services. The General Attorney Office also had emergency shelters for short-term
accommodation of women victims of domestic violence.403
NGOs reportedly expressed concern at the quality of the shelter and services programs
embedded in police stations, especially in rural areas. Governmental measures to provide
additional shelters were insufficient, according to NGOs.404

Baker Mckenzie, Fighting Domestic Violence – Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru, 2021, url, p. 23
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, pp. 13-16
401
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, pp. 13-16
402Peru, National report submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1 and 16/21(A/HRC/WG.6/42/PER/1), 1 November 2022, url, paras. 102, 104403
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 15
404
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 14
399

400

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5.

Situation of LGBTI people

BBC reported that there has been ‘growing acceptance’ of LGBTI people in Peru; however,‘many still face legal challenges and widespread prejudice.’405 Human Rights Watch indicatesthat politicians also continued to make public comments disparaging LGBTI people.406 Peru
has an openly lesbian congresswoman, who was elected in 2021.407
Consensual same-sex activity is not illegal or criminalised.408 However, there were reports ofofficial and society discrimination against LGBTI persons in areas of employment, housing,education, healthcare, and law enforcement.409 For example, according to LGBTI advocacy
NGO, Promsex, LGBTI persons were prevented from pursuing education for economic
reasons (69.3 percent), discrimination/violence (15.4), fear of discrimination (7.7), or for
personal reasons (7.57).410 The same source reported that 63.3 percent of LGBTI persons
surveyed had access to health services, while 36.7 percent indicated that they did not.411
Same-sex couples are not permitted to marry or enter a civil union in Peru.412 According to
Human Rights Watch, ‘in 2021, certain courts recognized same-sex marriages contracted by
Peruvians abroad. But in April 2022, the Constitutional Court ruled against recognizing any
same-sex marriage abroad, by either Peruvians or foreigners.’ 413
Promsex reported that in the cases of violence and discrimination against LGBTI persons that
it was aware of, 43.2 percent was psychological, 34.8 was physical, and 22 was sexual; themajority of cases being linked to family (55.3 percent) or unknown persons (38.6).414
The Public Prosecution Service published a report on the killings of 84 LGBTI people between
2012-2021; noting most killings occurred in La Libertad, Lima, and Lima-Norte and most being
homosexual males (59.2 percent) or transgender women (37.5). Most crimes did not have an
identified perpetrator, leading to high likelihood of impunity.415 However, in 2022, Peru also
opened a preliminary investigation into the 2022 suspicious death of a Peruvian transgender
man who was killed while on holiday in Bali with his spouse.416 Abuse and harassment oftransgender people by police and other authorities was a ‘serious problem’ according to
USDOS.417 According to Partners in Health, an international NGO that promotes the right toBBC, Azul Rojas Marín: Peru found responsible for torture of LGBT person, 7 April 2020, url
HRW, World Report: Peru – Events of 2022, 12 January 2023, url
407
Reuters, Peru's first lesbian lawmaker vows 'strong battle' to boost LGBT+ rights, 15 April 2021, url
408
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 20
409
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 20
410
Promsex, Informe Annual Sobre la Situación de los Derechos Humanos de las Personas LGBTI en el Perú 2021,
May 2022, url, pp. 37-38
411
Promsex, Informe Annual Sobre la Situación de los Derechos Humanos de las Personas LGBTI en el Perú 2021,
May 2022, url, pp. 41-42
412
HRW, World Report: Peru – Events of 2022, 12 January 2023, url
413
HRW, World Report: Peru – Events of 2022, 12 January 2023, url
414
Promsex, Informe Annual Sobre la Situación de los Derechos Humanos de las Personas LGBTI en el Perú 2021,
May 2022, url, p. 47
415
Peru, Características criminológicas de las muertes dolosas de las personas LGBT en el Perú 2012-2021, url, pp.
12-13, 20, 25
416
Le Monde, Peru opens 'torture' investigation over transgender man's death in Indonesia, 8 September 2022, url
417
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 20
405

406

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health care access, ‘[m]any transgender women don’t feel safe seeking care at clinics andhospitals where discrimination runs rampant … Peru’s health system lacks comprehensive
training and protocols for clinicians around sexual and gender diversity, making health centerspotential sites of abuse and prejudice.’418
In 2020, a court ordered the civil registry to permit transgender Peruvians to change theirname and gender on identity documents.419 In January 2022, the appeal court overturned thedecision and a further appeal has been filed with the Constitutional Court, which was pending
as of September 2022.420 Legal proceedings for transgender people to change one’s name[and gender421] on the national identity card were often costly,422 with cumbersome
procedures423 and ‘unpredictable results.’424
The Constitution provides broad provisions against discrimination and permits the launchingof complaints due to reasons of sexual orientation and gender; there were few national laws
providing protections however, specific to this group.425 According to USDOS, ‘some regions
and municipalities, including La Libertad, Loreto, Piura, and San Martín, had regulations that
explicitly prohibit discrimination against LGBTQI+ persons and provide administrative relief but
not criminal charges.’ 426 Peru published a National Gender Equality Policy in 2019, including
with a focus on LGBTI women.427
Sources indicated a general lack of official statistics on the situation of violence anddiscrimination against LGBTI people.428 The Public Prosecution Service reported in 2022 thatit has incorporated data on violence and discrimination against LGBTI into its statistical
database.429
The Inter-American Court on Human Rights ruled against Peru, including in two separatecases of transgender victims who were discriminated against (2023)430 and tortured by police(2020) 431 in 2004 and 2008 respectively. The rulings also included orders for reparations432
and orders to implement guides for LGBTI people on services and training for judicial and
PIH, PIH Finds Transgender Women In Peru Face Regular Discrimination, Violence, 25 May 2021, url
HRW, World Report: Peru – Events of 2021, 13 January 2022, url
420
HRW, World Report: Peru – Events of 2022, 12 January 2023, url
421
Blade, Peru officially apologizes to Transgender woman for police abuse, 11 November 2022, url
422
IPS, Peruvian Trans Women Fight for Their Right to Identity, 12 September 2022, url; Blade, Peru officiallyapologizes to Transgender woman for police abuse, 11 November 2022, url
423
Blade, Peru officially apologizes to Transgender woman for police abuse, 11 November 2022, url
424
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 21
425
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 20
426
USDOS, 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Peru, 20 March 2023, url, p. 20
427
Peru, National report submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1 and 16/21(A/HRC/WG.6/42/PER/1), 1 November 2022, url, para. 68
428
Promsex, Informe Annual Sobre la Situación de los Derechos Humanos de las Personas LGBTI en el Perú 2021,
May 2022, url, p. 19-22; Ojo Público, Los homicidios de la población LGTBI siguen sin obtener justicia en Perú, 3
April 2022, url
429
Peru, National report submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1 and 16/21(A/HRC/WG.6/42/PER/1), 1 November 2022, url, para. 76
430
HRW, Peru Ruling a Victory for LGBT Equality, 20 April 2023, url
431
Blade, Peru officially apologizes to Transgender woman for police abuse, 11 November 2022, url; Peru, Hoy semarca un hito para los derechos humanos en el país, dice ministro de Justicia en acto de disculpas públicas a Azul
Rojas, 3 November 2022, url; See also: BBC, Azul Rojas Marín: Peru found responsible for torture of LGBT person, 7
April 2020, url
432
Blade, Peru officially apologizes to Transgender woman for police abuse, 11 November 2022, url
418

419

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

administrative officials.433 Other measures have yet to be implemented.434 Peru reported
offering such training sessions and several guides in 2022.435
In 2022, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights announced the formation of a technicalteam to support the development of a protocol on investigation and administration of justice incriminal proceedings related to LGBTI victims of violence.436
Promsex’ 2021 annual report on the situation of LGBTI persons reported that in 94.9 percentof the cases it was aware of, the victims did not report incidents of violence, nor did they
access the services of the state. Furthermore, 17.5 percent of those surveyed who did report itexperienced discrimination while accessing the services of the state in cases of violence.437

HRW, Peru Ruling a Victory for LGBT Equality, 20 April 2023, url
Blade, Peru officially apologizes to Transgender woman for police abuse, 11 November 2022, url
435Peru, National report submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1 and 16/21(A/HRC/WG.6/42/PER/1), 1 November 2022, url, paras. 69-77
436
Peru, Hoy se marca un hito para los derechos humanos en el país, dice ministro de Justicia en acto de disculpas
públicas a Azul Rojas, 3 November 2022, url
437
Promsex, Informe Anual Sobre la Situación de los Derechos Humanos de las Personas LGBTI en el Perú 2021,
May 2022, url, p. 50
433

434

56

PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS

Annex 1: Bibliography
Oral sources, including anonymised sources
DPLF (Due Process of Law Foundation), interview with the Executive Director, 6 September
2023. DPLF is a regional organisation that promotes the rule of law in Latin America.
HRW (Human Rights Watch), interview with César Muñoz, Americas Associate Director of
Human Rights Watch, 22 August 2023.

Public sources
24 Horas, Ministro del Interior: “No se descarta que haya financiamiento extranjero para lasprotestas”, 15 December 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-wgIJMwHpU, accessed 4
September 2023
AFP (Agence France-Presse), At least six killed in Peru clash with Shining Path, 18 March 2023,
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230318-at-least-six-killed-in-peru-clash-withshining-path, accessed 19 September 2023
AFP (Agence France-Presse), Boluarte descarta elecciones anticipadas en Perú ante nuevos
llamados a protestas, 16 June 2023, https://www.rfi.fr/es/m%C3%A1s-noticias/20230616boluarte-descarta-elecciones-anticipadas-en-per%C3%BA-ante-nuevos-llamados-a-protestas,
accessed 8 August 2023
Peru, Decreto Supremo No. 088-2023-PCM, 2 August 2023,
https://busquedas.elperuano.pe/dispositivo/NL/2201601-4, accessed 19 September 2023
InSight Crime, Shining Path, 23 May 2021, https://insightcrime.org/peru-organized-crimenews/shining-path-profile/, accessed 19 September 2023
Agencia EFE, Policía de Perú afirma que Sendero Luminoso se ha infiltrado en protestas, 13
January 2023, https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/per%C3%BA-crisis_polic%C3%ADa-deper%C3%BA-afirma-que-sendero-luminoso-se-ha-infiltrado-en-protestas/48203744, accessed
7 August 2023
AI (Amnesty International), Lethal racism: Extrajudicial executions and unlawful use of forcesby Peru’s security forces, 2023,
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr46/6761/2023/en/, accessed 3 August 2023
AI (Amnesty International), Perú: La represión letal del Estado es una muestra más deldesprecio hacia la población Indígena y campesina, 16 February 2023,
https://www.amnesty.org/es/latest/news/2023/02/peru-lethal-state-repression/, accessed 3
August 2023

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

AI (Amnesty International), Peru: Senior officials should face investigation over widespreadlethal attacks by security forces, 25 May 2023,
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/05/peru-senior-officials-should-faceinvestigation/ :~:text=Moreover%2C%20instead%20of%20condemning%20the,terrorists%E2%80%9D%20an
d%20intentionally%20spreading%20disinformation., accessed 28 August 2023
AI (Amnesty International), Report 2022/23: The State of the World’s Human Rights – Peru,
2023, https://www.amnesty.org/en/wpcontent/uploads/2023/04/WEBPOL1056702023ENGLISH-2.pdf, accessed 3 August 2023
Amércia Noticias, Desarticulan banda criminal dedicada a la trata de personas, 25 January2023, https://www.americatv.com.pe/noticias/actualidad/desarticulan-banda-criminaldedicada-trata-personas-n467441, accessed 18 August 2023
América Noticias, Banda criminal La Cota 905 es sindicada como responsable del doble
crimen en Pasamayito, 4 June 2023, https://www.americatv.com.pe/noticias/actualidad/bandacriminal-cota-905-sindicada-como-responsable-doble-crimen-pasamayito-n475729, accessed
18 August 2023
Andina, “Gota a Gota”: Policía Nacional intensifica operativos contra extorsionadores en elpaís, 1 May 2023, https://andina.pe/agencia/noticia-gota-a-gota-policia-nacional-intensificaoperativos-contra-extorsionadores-el-pais-938534.aspx, accessed 17 August 2023
Andina, La Libertad: Policía Nacional desarticuló más de 100 bandas criminales en junio, 3 July
2023, https://andina.pe/agencia/noticia-la-libertad-policia-nacional-desarticulo-mas-100bandas-criminales-junio-946088.aspx, accessed 11 August 2023
AP (Associated Press), Colombian prosecutors accuse former presidential candidate of taking
money from Odebrecht, 10 July 2023, https://apnews.com/article/colombia-odebrechtcorruption-scandal-53eb3b44595c3e8ed728f5675c612974, accessed 10 August 2023
AP (Associated Press), ONU pide investigar amenazas de muerte al presidente del JNE, 7 July
2023, https://gestion.pe/peru/politica/onu-pide-investigar-amenazas-de-muerte-al-presidentedel-jne-noticia/, accessed 10 August 2023
Baker Mckenzie, Fighting Domestic Violence – Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru, 2021,
https://resourcehub.bakermckenzie.com/-/media/fighting-domesticviolence/reports/reports/2021_fdv_peru.pdf, accessed 15 August 2023
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Azul Rojas Marín: Peru found responsible for torture ofLGBT person, 7 April 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-52204222,
accessed 10 August 2023
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), La Fiscalía de Perú abre investigación preliminar
contra la presidenta Dina Boluarte por "genocidio" tras las muertes en las protestas, 11 January2023, https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-64232156, accessed 12 June 2023

58

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BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Pedro Castillo | 6 presidentes en 4 años: por qué Perúes tan difícil de gobernar, 8 December 2022, https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-americalatina-63898035, accessed 27 June 2023
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Perú: el gobierno de Pedro Castillo decreta el estado
de emergencia en Lima para contrarrestar las protestas que dejaron 4 muertos, 5 April 2022,
https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-60992914, accessed 27 June 2023
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Perú: Pedro Castillo es proclamado ganador de laselecciones presidenciales más de un mes después de las elecciones, 20 July 2021,
https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-57897361, accessed 12 June 2023
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Peru's Shining Path kills 16, including children, aheadof polls, 25 May 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57239680, accessed 19
September 2023
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Qué es el Militarizado Partido Comunista de Perú(MPCP) al que le atribuyen la matanza de 16 personas en Vraem (y qué relación tiene con
Sendero Luminoso), 26 May 2021, https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina57242718, accessed 27 June 2023
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Qué es el Movadef, la polémica organización que
vinculan con Sendero Luminoso en Perú y a la que acusan de apología al terrorismo, 9 August
2017, https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-40856626, accessed 10 August2023
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Qué son los Comités de Autodefensa, la “policía
paralela” que recupera poder en Perú, 8 July 2022, https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticiasamerica-latina-62046501, accessed 18 August 2023
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2022 Country Report – Peru, 2022, https://btiproject.org/fileadmin/api/content/en/downloads/reports/country_report_2022_PER.pdf,
accessed 12 September 2023
Blade, Peru officially apologizes to Transgender woman for police abuse, 11 November 2022,
https://www.losangelesblade.com/2022/11/11/peru-officially-apologizes-to-transgender-womanfor-police-abuse/, accessed 10 August 2023
Canal N, JNE rechazó inscripción de frente impulsado por el Movadef, 28 September 2016,
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accessed 21 August 2023
Caretas, Cuatro presidentes fueron vacados por “incapacidad moral permanente” en lahistoria del Perú, 14 March 2022, https://caretas.pe/politica/cuatro-presidentes-fueronvacados-por-incapacidad-moral-permanente-en-la-historia-del-peru/, accessed 15 August
2023

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Castilla, Luis Miguel, in The Dialogue, HYBRID EVENT – Peru at the Crossroads: Political Crisis,
Human Rights Abuses, and What’s Next?, 24 May 2023,
https://www.thedialogue.org/events/hybrid-event-peru-at-the-crossroads-political-crisishuman-rights-abuses-and-whats-next/, accessed 4 September 2023
CEJIL et al., Organizaciones internacionales condenamos ataque parlamentario contra Junta
Nacional de Justica en el Perú, 8 September 2023, https://cejil.org/comunicado-deprensa/organizaciones-internacionales-condenamos-ataque-parlamentario-contra-la-juntanacional-de-justicia-en-el-peru/, accessed 19 September 2023
CHS Alternativo, En el Perú, el 85% de víctimas extranjeras de trata de personas son
venezolanas, 5 September 2023, https://chsalternativo.org/noticias/en-el-peru-el-85-devictimas-extranjeras-de-trata-de-personas-son-venezolanas/, accessed 5 September 2023
Clarín, Perú: del “autogolpe” de Fujimori en 1992 al de Pedro Castillo en 2022, 12 December
2022, https://www.clarin.com/mundo/peru-autogolpe-fujimori-1992-pedro-castillo2022_0_wWAvXmlpa4.html, accessed 12 September 2023
CNDDHH (Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos), Informe Alternativo al Comité deDerechos Humanos: Presentado en el marco del sexto informe periódico del Perú, 30 January2023,
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CNDDHH (Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos), Informe anual 2022: Del filo delabismo al abismo, May 2023,
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CNN (Cable News Network), Familias de Perú piden reparaciones por la muerte demanifestantes durante las protestas, mientras Boluarte promete investigar abusos de lasautoridades, 25 January 2023, https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2023/01/25/peru-manifestacionesterrorismo-sendero-luminoso-abusos-trax/, accessed 7 August 2023
Diario Correo, Chimbote: Desarticulan banda dedicada a la extorsión, 2 December 2022,
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April 2021, https://radio.uchile.cl/2021/04/11/elecciones-en-peru-un-hito-que-refleja-la-crisispolitica-del-pais-vecino-ad-portas-de-su-bicentenario/, accessed 2 August 2023
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DW (Deutsche Welle), Fiscalía de Perú abre investigación a Boluarte por genocidio, 11 January2023, https://www.dw.com/es/fiscal%C3%ADa-de-per%C3%BA-abre-investigaci%C3%B3n-adina-boluarte-por-genocidio/a-64347274, accessed 12 June 2023
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2023, https://www.dw.com/es/reinician-protestas-en-per%C3%BA-pidiendo-adelanto-deelecciones/a-66291292, accessed 8 August 2023
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el perfil de los criminales?, 28 May 2023, https://elcomercio.pe/lima/secuestros-siguencausando-alarma-casi-10-denuncias-al-dia-son-registradas-por-el-delito-odontologosecuestros-pnp-secuestros-al-paso-lima-extorsionadores-sanguinarios-y-sin-escrupulosvenezolanos-noticia/?ref=ecr, accessed 13 June 2023
El Comercio, Aumentan secuestros de menores de edad en el país, 22 February 2022,
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June 2023
El Comercio, Red criminal ‘Tren de Aragua’ se extiende de forma imparable en Perú: ya están
en 10 regiones, 26 July 2023, https://elcomercio.pe/peru/red-criminal-tren-de-aragua-seextiende-de-forma-imparable-en-peru-ya-estan-en-10-regiones-noticia/, accessed 12
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accessed 15 August 2023
El País, Dina Boluarte sepulta su promesa de adelanto electoral: “El tema está cerrado.
Seguiremos hasta julio de 2026”, 16 June 2023, https://elpais.com/internacional/2023-0616/dina-boluarte-sepulta-su-promesa-de-adelanto-electoral-el-tema-esta-cerrado-seguiremoshasta-julio-de-2026.html, accessed 8 August 2023
El País, Las protestas se reactivan en Perú para exigir la renuncia de Dina Boluarte y un
adelanto electoral, 20 July 2023, https://elpais.com/internacional/2023-07-20/las-protestasse-reactivan-en-peru-para-exigir-la-renuncia-de-dina-boluarte-y-un-adelanto-electoral.html,
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61

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMEl Peruano, Desarticulan banda criminal dedicada al fraude informático en Lima, Callao,Áncash y Arequipa, 11 May 2023, https://elperuano.pe/noticia/212475-desarticulan-bandacriminal-dedicada-al-fraude-informatico-en-lima-callao-ancash-y-arequipa, accessed 8 August2023
El Peruano, PNP intensifica operativos en todo el país para desarticular mafias deextorsionadores, 30 June 2023, http://www.elperuano.pe/noticia/216763-pnp-intensificaoperativos-en-todo-el-pais-para-desarticular-mafias-de-extorsionadores, accessed 8 August2023
El Peruano, Policía desarticula 240 bandas criminales, 9 May 2023,
https://elperuano.pe/noticia/212174-policia-desarticula-240-bandas-criminales, accessed 21
August 2023
El Popular, Alberto Otárola sobre protestas en Puno: "Están siendo financiados por dinero
oscuro del narcotráfico", 9 January 2023, https://elpopular.pe/actualidad/2023/01/09/albertootarola-protestas-puno-estan-siendo-financiados-dinero-oscuro-narcotrafico-173923, accessed
13 August 2023
El Universo, Los Tiguerones llegaron a Perú y mantienen disputas con el Tren de Aragua,alertan autoridades de ese país, 13 March 2023,
https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/seguridad/los-tiguerones-llegaron-a-peru-y-mantienendisputas-con-el-tren-de-aragua-alertan-autoridades-de-ese-pais-nota/, accessed 10 August2023
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2023
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18 April 2019, https://www.euronews.com/2019/04/18/what-is-the-odebrecht-corruptionscandal-in-latin-america-and-who-is-implicated, accessed 10 August 2023
Expansión, 9 expresidentes de Perú que han sido destituidos o acusados de corrupción, 8
December 2022, https://expansion.mx/mundo/2022/12/08/expresidentes-de-peru-destituidoso-acusados-de-corrupcion, accessed 10 August 2023
Expreso, PNP da a conocer cifras de secuestros: estos son los lugares con mayor incidencia,
18 July 2023, https://www.expreso.com.pe/actualidad/pnp-da-a-conocer-cifras-de-secuestrosestos-son-los-lugares-con-mayor-incidencia-delincuencia-criminalidad-noticia/, accessed 16
August 2023
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FP (Foreign Policy), The Real Reason Behind Peru’s Political Crisis, 25 January 2023,
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France 24, Acceso al aborto en Perú: sigue la lucha por los derechos de las menores víctimasde violación, 13 August 2023, https://www.france24.com/es/am%C3%A9rica-latina/20230813acceso-al-aborto-en-per%C3%BA-sigue-la-lucha-por-los-derechos-de-las-menoresv%C3%ADctimas-de-violaci%C3%B3n, accessed 12 September 2023
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https://propuestaciudadana.org.pe/comunicaciones/pronunciamiento-rechazamos-ley-decomites-de-autodefensa-que-vulnera-la-autonomia-comunal-y-promueve-la-violencia-y-el-usode-armas/, accessed 11 August 2023
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Peru, April 2023, https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2023/05/peru0423 web.pdf,
accessed 2 August 2023
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HRW (Human Rights Watch), Peru Should Provide Comprehensive Reproductive Care for Girls,
20 June 2023, https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/20/peru-should-provide-comprehensivereproductive-care-girls, accessed 12 September 2023
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August 2023
HRW (Human Rights Watch), World Report: Peru – Events of 2021, 13 January 2022,
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IFES (International Foundation for Electoral Systems), Election Guide: Republic of Peru, n.d.,
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Infobae, ‘Loco David’, el cabecilla de la banda que mató a funcionaria de la SUNAT fue
capturado, 20 May 2023, https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/05/20/loco-david-el-cabecillade-la-banda-que-mato-a-funcionaria-de-la-sunat-fue-capturado/, accessed 16 August 2023
Infobae, ‘Los Tiguerones’: así opera la banda criminal que ya se encuentra en Perú, 11 July
2023, https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/07/12/los-tiguerones-asi-opera-la-banda-criminalque-ya-se-encuentra-en-peru/, accessed 18 August 2023

63

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMInfobae, “Impunidad criminal”: Absuelven a 11 policías investigados por muertes de Inti yBryan, 21 February 2023, https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/02/21/inti-sotelo-y-bryanpintado-manuel-merino-inspectoria-pnp-absuelve-a-11-policias-marchas-del-14-de-noviembre/,accessed 8 August 2023
Infobae, Camarada ‘Carlos’ sería el autor de la matanza de siete policías en el VRAEM, 13
February 2023, https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/02/13/camarada-carlos-seria-el-autor-dela-matanza-de-siete-policias-en-el-vraem/, accessed 7 August 2023
Infobae, Extorsión y sicariato sin control en Lima y regiones: por qué los delincuentes ganancada vez más terreno y qué medidas tomar, 18 June 2023,
https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/06/18/extorsion-y-sicariato-sin-control-en-lima-y-regionespor-que-delincuentes-ganan-cada-vez-mas-terreno-y-que-medidas-tomar/, accessed 28 July
2023
Infobae, Extorsión, prostitución, asesinatos, robos y narcotráfico: la banda venezolana “Trende Aragua” se convirtió en una multinacional del crimen, 1 April 2023,
https://www.infobae.com/venezuela/2023/04/01/extorsion-prostitucion-asesinatos-robos-ynarcotrafico-la-banda-venezolana-tren-de-aragua-se-convirtio-en-una-multinacional-delcrimen/, accessed 2 August 2023
Infobae, La guerra de bandas del ‘Tren de Aragua’ en Perú: muertes y extorsión por las ‘zona
rosas’ de Lima, 3 June 2023, https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/06/03/la-guerra-de-bandasdel-tren-de-aragua-en-peru-muertes-y-extorsion-por-la-zona-rosas-de-lima/, accessed 18
August 2023
Infobae, La guerra del ‘gota a gota’: mafias colombianas y venezolanas desatan el terror por elcontrol del negocio de préstamos extorsivos, 2 May 2023,
https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/05/02/la-guerra-del-gota-a-gota-mafias-colombianas-yvenezolanas-desatan-el-terror-por-el-control-del-negocio-de-prestamos-extorsivos/, accessed
21 August 2023
Infobae, Lo que está detrás de la mafia que extorsionaba a trabajadoras sexuales
venezolanas en los distritos de Lima Norte, 2 February 2023,
https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/01/30/prostitucion-en-lima-cae-banda-que-extorsionabaa-meretrices-los-olivos-comas-y-puente-piedra/, accessed 12 September 2023
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión amenazan Lima y Callao: cuáles son los distritos
más afectados por este delito en ascenso, 23 June 2023,
https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/06/23/extorsion-en-lima-estos-son-los-distritos-conmayor-incidencia-del-delito/, accessed 17 August 2023
Infobae, Mafias sangrientas de la extorsión siembran el terror el Perú: amenazan, asesinan y
cobran millones a empresarios en Lima y regiones, 10 June 2023,
https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/06/10/mafias-sangrientas-de-la-extorsion-siembran-elterror-el-peru-amenazan-asesinan-y-cobran-millones-a-empresarios-en-lima-y-regiones/,
accessed 17 August 2023

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Infobae, Movadef, Sendero Luminoso y MRTA están detrás de la violencia en las protestas,
advirtió el jefe de la Dircote, 13 December 2022,
https://www.infobae.com/america/peru/2022/12/13/movadef-sendero-luminoso-y-el-mrtaestan-detras-de-la-violencia-en-protestas-advirtio-el-jefe-de-la-dircote/, accessed 21 August
2023
Infobae, No es solo el Tren de Aragua: quiénes son esas otras bandas extranjeras y en qué
zonas de Lima operan, 5 June 2023, https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/06/05/tren-dearagua-peru-que-otras-bandas-extranjeras-estan-lima-y-donde-operan/, accessed 18 August
2023
Infobae, Ola de secuestros crece en Perú: Dueños de restaurantes, empresarios y hasta
autoridades en la mira de los delincuentes, 11 May 2023,
https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/05/11/ola-de-secuestros-crece-en-peru-duenos-derestaurantes-empresarios-y-hasta-autoridades-en-la-mira-de-los-delincuentes/, accessed 16
August 2023
Infobae, Patricia Benavides se refirió a la investigación contra la JNJ: “No me involucren en lasdecisiones del Congreso”, 9 September 2023,
https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/09/09/patricia-benavides-se-refirio-a-la-investigacioncontra-la-jnj-no-me-involucren-en-las-decisiones-del-congreso/, accessed 19 September 2023
Infobae, Pedro Castillo: las ocho investigaciones en su contra que le valieron a la Fiscalía paralograr su prisión preventiva, 16 December 2022,
https://www.infobae.com/america/peru/2022/12/16/pedro-castillo-las-ocho-investigaciones-ensu-contra-que-le-valieron-a-la-fiscalia-para-lograr-su-prision-preventiva/, accessed 15 August
2023
Infobae, Préstamos ‘gota a gota’ en Perú: conoce las aplicaciones que ofrecen estos créditos
peligrosos, 2 June 2023, https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/06/02/prestamos-gota-a-gotaen-peru-conoce-las-aplicaciones-que-ofrecen-estos-creditos-peligrosos/, accessed 17 August
2023
Infobae, Secuestros en Perú: la lucha contra la impunidad y la inseguridad ciudadana
continúa, 24 June 2023, https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/06/24/secuestros-en-peru-lalucha-contra-la-impunidad-y-la-inseguridad-ciudadana-continua/, accessed 15 August 2023
Infobae, Sicariato en Lima va en aumento: 367 de los 700 crímenes del 2022 fueron por
encargo o ajustes de cuenta, 6 May 2023,
https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/05/06/sicariato-en-lima-va-en-aumento-367-de-los-700crimenes-del-2022-fueron-por-encargo-o-ajustes-de-cuenta/, accessed 15 August 2023
Infobae, Trata de personas: uno de los delitos que mueve más millones en el Perú por la
explotación sexual y laboral, 28 March 2023, https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/03/28/tratade-personas-uno-de-los-delitos-que-mueve-mas-millones-en-el-peru-por-la-explotacionsexual-y-laboral/, accessed 16 August 2023

65

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMInfobae, Tren de Aragua en Perú: se identificó a los líderes que operan con la explotación
sexual en nuestro país, 29 May 2023, https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/05/29/tren-deagua-en-peru-se-identifico-a-los-lideres-que-operan-con-la-explotacion-sexual-en-nuestropais/, accessed 18 August 2023
InSight Crime, Guerra de pandillas rompe récord de asesinatos al norte de Ecuador, 28
October 2022, https://es.insightcrime.org/noticias/guerra-pandillas-record-asesinatos-norteecuador/, accessed 12 September 2023
InSight Crime, Peru, n.d, https://insightcrime.org/peru-organized-crime-news/, accessed 11
August 2023
InSight Crime, Shining Path on the Offensive in Peru, Again, 21 March 2023,
https://insightcrime.org/news/shining-path-offensive-peru-again/, accessed 21 August 2023
InSight Crime, Tren de Aragua, 14 February 2023, https://insightcrime.org/venezuelaorganized-crime-news/tren-de-aragua/, accessed 12 September 2023
International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023,
https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/peru/is-there-way-out-of-perus-strife,
accessed 12 June 2023
International Crisis Group, Is There a Way Out of Peru’s Strife?, 15 February 2023,
https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/peru/is-there-way-out-of-perus-strife,
accessed 12 June 2023
IPE (Instituto Peruano de Economía), De nuevo, crisis política (no importa cuando lo leas), 10
February 2022, https://www.ipe.org.pe/portal/de-nuevo-crisis-politica-no-importa-cuando-loleas/, accessed 9 August 2023
IPE (Instituto Peruano de Economía), El mercado de créditos informales en el Perú, 5 June
2023, https://www.ipe.org.pe/portal/el-mercado-de-creditos-informales-en-el-peru/, accessed
21 August 2023
IPS (Inter Press Service), Missing Women in Peru – A Pain that Never Ends, 22 June 2022,
https://www.ipsnews.net/2022/06/missing-women-peru-pain-neverends/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=missing-women-peru-pain-neverends, accessed 21 August 2023
IPS (Inter Press Service), Peruvian Trans Women Fight for Their Right to Identity, 12 September
2022, https://www.ipsnews.net/2022/09/peruvian-trans-women-fight-right-identity/, accessed
2 August 2023
La República, ¡Niños en mira de los secuestradores! Un total de 70 casos se han reportado enel país, 26 June 2022, https://larepublica.pe/videos/sociedad/2022/06/26/ninos-en-mira-delos-secuestradores-un-total-de-70-casos-se-han-reportado-en-el-pais, accessed 11 August
2023

66

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La República, ¿Qué es el Militarizado Partido Comunista del Perú, presunto responsable de lamatanza de 16 personas en el Vraem?, 23 November 2021,
https://larepublica.pe/politica/2021/11/22/que-es-el-militarizado-partido-comunista-de-perupresunto-responsable-de-la-matanza-de-16-personas-en-el-vraem-mpcp-quienes-son-victorquispe-y-raul-quispe-sendero-luminoso, accessed 19 September 2023
La República, ¿Quiénes lideran la organización criminal 'Tren de Aragua' en el Perú?, 28 May
2023, https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2023/05/28/quienes-lideran-la-organizacion-criminaltren-de-aragua-en-el-peru-2694076, accessed 12 September 2023
La República, Caen 61 presuntos miembros del ‘Tren de Aragua’ en casa de Chosica, 18 April
2023, https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2023/04/18/caen-61-presuntos-miembros-del-tren-dearagua-en-casa-de-chosica-gota-a-gota-erick-urbina-omeliza-regardiz-814986, accessed 21
August 2023
La República, Caen 8 integrantes de la banda criminal Los Malditos del Cono, 24 January2023, https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2023/01/24/caen-ocho-integrantes-banda-criminalmalditos-cono-81882, accessed 18 August 2023
La República, Caso Inti y Bryan: Fiscalía suspende investigación tras polémico fallo del Poder
Judicial, 22 July 2022, https://larepublica.pe/politica/judiciales/2022/07/21/caso-inti-y-bryanfiscalia-suspende-investigacion-tras-polemico-fallo-del-poder-judicial, accessed 8 August2023
La República, Congreso aprueba golpe contra el sistema de justicia, 8 September 2023,
https://larepublica.pe/politica/congreso/2023/09/08/congreso-aprueba-golpe-contra-elsistema-de-justicia-patricia-chirinos-junta-nacional-de-justicia-fujicerronismo-zoraida-avalosfuerza-popular-peru-libre-520392, accessed 19 September 2023
La República, Guerra entre bandas extranjeras ya ha dejado 41 muertos en Lima, según PNP,
19 June 2023, https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2023/06/19/guerra-entre-bandas-extranjerasya-ha-dejado-41-muertos-en-lima-segun-pnp-tren-de-aragua-cota-905-maldito-cris-727130,
accessed 2 August 2023
La República, Inti y Bryan: Inspectoría PNP absolvió a 11 oficiales investigados por muerte dejóvenes, 23 February 2023, https://larepublica.pe/politica/actualidad/2023/02/21/policiainspectoria-pnp-absolvio-a-11-oficiales-investigados-por-muerte-de-inti-y-bryan-manuelmerino-2072826, accessed 2 August 2023
La República, Llamadas de extorsión: ¿cómo denunciar este delito ante la PNP?, 30 June
2023, https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2023/06/30/llamadas-de-extorsion-pnp-que-hacer-ycomo-denunciar-extorsion-y-amenaza-en-peru-modelo-denuncia-extorsion-mininter-2784120,
accessed 11 August 2023
La República, Los Tiguerones: ¿cómo opera la banda ecuatoriana qué rivaliza con el Tren deAragua en Perú?, 17 July 2023, https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2023/07/17/los-tigueronescomo-opera-la-banda-ecuatoriana-que-rivaliza-con-el-tren-de-aragua-en-peru-tren-de-araguadelincuencia-bandas-criminales-los-tiguerones-mdga-398378, accessed 18 August 2023
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La República, Manifestantes: “Acusación de tener financiamiento ilegal nos ofende”, 12
February 2023, https://larepublica.pe/politica/actualidad/2023/02/12/paro-nacionalmanifestantes-acusacion-de-tener-financiamiento-ilegal-nos-ofende-dina-boluarte-poderejecutivo--920940, accessed 5 September 2023
La República, Patricia Chirinos denuncia constitucionalmente a miembros de la JNJ y pide quesean inhabilitados, 9 July 2023, https://larepublica.pe/politica/actualidad/2023/07/09/patriciachirinos-denuncia-constitucionalmente-a-miembros-de-la-jnj-y-pide-que-sean-inhabilitados884718, accessed 19 September 2023
La República, Peleas territoriales de bandas aumentan muertes por sicariato, 6 May 2023,
https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2023/05/06/pnp-peleas-territoriales-de-bandas-aumentanmuertes-por-sicariato-delincuencia-homicidios-crimen-537060, accessed 11 August 2023
La República, PNP captura a 'Mamut', líder de una banda de extorsión y trata de personas en
Lima Norte, 30 January 2023, https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2023/01/30/pnp-capturanmamut-lider-de-banda-de-extorsion-trata-de-personas-en-lima-norte--29374, accessed 12
September 2023
La República, PNP: bandas extranjeras tienen el control de 33 plazas en 14 distritos de Lima,
26 June 2023, https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2023/06/25/pnp-bandas-extranjeras-tienen-elcontrol-de-33-plazas-en-14-distritos-de-limabandas-criminales-tren-de-aragua-delincuencia1192700, accessed 11 August 2023
La República, Poder Judicial: expertos advierten abuso de la prisión preventive, 6 August
2023, https://larepublica.pe/politica/judiciales/2023/08/06/poder-judicial-expertos-adviertenabuso-de-la-prision-preventiva-inpe-fiscalia-juzgado-codigo-penal-279384, accessed 10
August 2023
La República, Préstamos gota a gota: delincuentes obligan a víctimas y sus contactos a pagar
dinero no solicitado, 16 April 2023, https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2023/04/16/prestamosgota-a-gota-delincuentes-obligan-a-victimas-y-sus-contactos-a-pagar-dinero-no-solicitadopnp-extorsion-1271584, accessed 11 August 2023
La República, Redes de trata aumentan en todo el país: hay 2.222 denuncias en lo que va del2023, 23 May 2023, https://data.larepublica.pe/trata-de-personas-en-peru-redes-de-trataaumentan-hay-2222-denuncias-en-2023-mujeres-victimas-de-explotacion-sexual-fiscalia/,
accessed 11 August 2023
La República, Ronna Rísquez: "El tren de Aragua se expande por el amplio portafolio dedelitos que tienen", 13 August 2023, https://larepublica.pe/domingo/2023/08/13/ronnarisquez-el-tren-de-aragua-se-expande-por-el-amplio-portafolio-de-delitos-que-tienendomingo-747444, accessed 12 September 2023
La República, Volvieron los secuestros clásicos en Lima: ya van cinco casos, 28 April 2023,
https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2023/04/28/inseguridad-ciudadana-volvieron-los-secuestrosclasicos-en-lima-ya-van-cinco-casos-extorsion-christian-quispe-pnp-lurin-1578500, accessed 11
August 2023
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Latina Noticias, Comas: extorsionadores queman mototaxis de víctimas, 22 April 2023,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZR_DR-sojI, accessed 17 August 2023
Le Monde, Peru opens 'torture' investigation over transgender man's death in Indonesia, 8September 2022, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2022/09/08/peru-openstorture-investigation-over-transgender-man-s-death-in-indonesia_5996176_4.html, accessed 2
August 2023
LIMAY.PE, Ola de secuestros crece en Lima: Estas son las modalidades, 19 March 2022,
https://limay.pe/actualidad/ola-de-secuestros-crece-en-lima-estas-son-las-modalidades/,accessed 15 August 2023
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World Bank (The), Desempleo, total (% de la población activa total) (estimación modelado OIT)
– Peru, n.d., https://datos.bancomundial.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS?locations=PE,
accessed 25 August 2023
World Bank (The), Peru: Systematic Country Diagnostic Update, 2022,
https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099610010172223753/pdf/BOSIB0418bbe9e0a70bf08067956be82e6c.pdf, accessed 25 August 2023
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https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/peru/overview, accessed 25 August 2023

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Annex 2: Terms of Reference
Reference period: (January 2021 - 19 September 2023)
This report is meant to provide an overview of a selection of specific topics relevant forinternational protection considerations in Peru, specifically in relation to needs identified by
the COI Specialist Network on the Americas for the recent months. The report will provide an
overview of the reference period’s developments, with a particular focus on 2023.
Overview•

Government/state structure•

Economy/humanitarian situation•

Freedom of movement•

Judicial structure/security and police▪

State presence in rural/urban areas▪

Corruption in the security forces and justice system

Political opponents and activists•

Political developments•

Demonstrations and treatment of anti-government protesters and persons who do notsupport protests, including sympathizers of Peru Libre and Fuerza Popular•State pressure to participate in protests in rural areas•

Involvement of criminal groups in protests (e.g. extortion to avoid road blocks)•

Protection mechanisms and measures by police, judiciary, other bodies, including
effectiveness

Organised crime•

Main actors/gangs/groups/cartels, nationally and especially in Lima•

Presence/Areas of operation•

Activities/methods: Violence, threats, extortion, human trafficking, forced recruitment,
illegal mining/economies, racketeering, property / land disputes, petty crime•

Links/alliances to other groups and state actors, especially in rural areas•

Ability to track and trace, including access to the residence registration system•

Protection mechanisms and measures by police, judiciary, other bodies, including
effectivenessDomestic violence and gender-based violence•Prevalence

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PERU – COUNTRY FOCUS•

Protection mechanisms and measures by police, judiciary, other bodies, including
effectiveness

LGBTI
•

Treatment by society, the state•

Protection mechanisms and measures by police, judiciary, other bodies, including
effectiveness79