H. Res. 57
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
October 4, 1999.
Whereas interference with freedom of the press and the inde-
pendence of judicial and electoral institutions in Peru
contributes to an erosion of democracy and the rule of
law in Peru;
Whereas freedom of the press in Peru is under assault, and
the Department of State’s Peru Country Report on
Human Rights Practices for 1998, found that ‘‘[t]he
Government infringed on press freedom [* * * and]
[j]ournalists faced increased harassment and intimida-
tion’’;
Whereas the Department of State’s Peru Country Report on
Human 
Rights 
Practices 
for 
1997, 
found 
that
‘‘[i]ncidents of harassment of media representatives in-
creased to such an extent as to create the perception of
an organized campaign of intimidation on the part of the
Government, specifically, on the part of the armed forces
and intelligence services’’;
Whereas the Organization of American States’ Special
Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression has called on the
Government of Peru to cease all official harassment of
journalists and to investigate and prosecute all abuses of
freedom of speech and of the press;
•HRES 57 EH
Whereas Freedom House now classifies Peru as the only
country in the Western Hemisphere, other than Cuba,
where the press is ‘‘not free’’;
Whereas the Department of State’s Peru Country Report on
Human Rights Practices for 1997 states that Channel 2
television station reporters in Peru ‘‘revealed torture by
Army Intelligence Service officers [and] the systematic
wiretapping of journalists, government officials, and op-
position politicians’’;
Whereas on July 13, 1997, the Government of Peru revoked
the Peruvian citizenship of the Israeli-born owner of the
Channel 2 television station, Baruch Ivcher, effectively
removing him from control of Channel 2, leading the De-
partment of State to conclude that ‘‘the Government’s ac-
tion in this case was widely interpreted as an attempt to
prevent the station from broadcasting any more negative
stories about the regime’’;
Whereas the Government of Peru has issued an INTERPOL
warrant for Baruch Ivcher’s arrest and brought criminal
proceedings against him, against members of his imme-
diate family, and against his former associates to secure
lengthy prison sentences against them;
Whereas the Inter–American Commission on Human Rights
found human rights violations against Baruch Ivcher by
the Government of Peru in this case and on March 31,
1999, submitted the case to the Inter–American Court of
Human Rights;
Whereas persecution of journalists in Peru is so grave that
several Peruvian journalists have sought political asylum
in the United States;
•HRES 57 EH
Whereas actions related to efforts to authorize President
Alberto Fujimori to seek a third term in office have
raised questions about the independence of the National
Election Board in Peru;
Whereas the independence of Peru’s judiciary has been
brought into question since the dismissal of 3 Constitu-
tional Tribunal magistrates on May 29, 1997, and by
continuing control of judicial matters by the executive
branch; and
Whereas the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
has called on the Government of Peru to reinstate the 3
dismissed magistrates, enabling the Constitutional Tri-
bunal to rule on constitutional issues, to fully restore the
National Council of the Judiciary’s power to nominate
and dismiss judges and prosecutors, and to cease the re-
curring practice of overruling, transferring, or removing
judges whose decisions did not coincide with the views of
the Government of Peru: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Represent-
atives that—
(1) the erosion of the independence of judicial and
electoral branches of the Government of Peru, the inter-
ference with freedom of the press, and the blatant in-
timidation of journalists in Peru constitute a threat to
democracy in that country and are matters for concern
by the United States as a member of the Inter-American
community;
(2) the United States Government and other mem-
bers of the Inter-American community should review the