Under the biblical motto “Learn to do good, seek justice” (Is 1:17), several bishops in Peru, including Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno, SJ, president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), have raised a strong prophetic voice against the recently approved amnesty law for members of the Armed Forces, the National Police, and the Self-Defense Committees that participated in the fight against terrorism between 1980 and 2000.
In their statement, the pastors recalled that “without justice there is no peace,” emphasizing that this law, far from promoting reconciliation, encourages impunity for crimes against humanity such as forced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, torture, and rape, crimes condemned both nationally and by international human rights bodies.
“Peru cannot—and must not—contradict or depart from international human rights treaties signed and ratified in the exercise of its sovereignty,” the bishops said.
The statement recalls the conclusions of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which attributed the role of principal perpetrator of crimes and violations to the PCP-Shining Path, but also recognizes that in the midst of the conflict, some state agents acted with violence, causing new wounds in the social fabric.
The bishops affirm that generalized amnesty denies human dignity and the seriousness of the crimes committed, weakening all efforts at national unity. In this regard, they called on the magistrates of the judiciary to exercise control over the law and ensure that justice prevails over any attempt at impunity.
“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Am 5:24).
At the same time, the pastors expressed their closeness and accompaniment to the victims of the armed conflict, echoing the words of St. John Paul II in Ayacucho: “Do not lose hope and the determination to overcome evil with good. Christ accompanies us and has conquered evil!“.
Finally, they reiterated that the Church will remain committed to authentic processes of national reconciliation, based on truth, justice, and unrestricted respect for human rights, convinced that, as Pope Francis affirms, ”the commitment to human rights never ends.”