Overview

• Law No. 32446 was published in El Peruano, adding Article 318‑B to the Penal Code and putting the new penalties into force.
• The provision allows life imprisonment for extortion, contract killings, kidnapping, qualified homicide and aggravated robbery when carried out with firearms, ammunition, explosives or similar instruments that create terror.
• The norm bears the signatures of President Dina Boluarte and Prime Minister Eduardo Arana after a congressional second vote that passed 83–27–1.
• Seventeen separate bills were consolidated into the measure, which supporters present as a tool against rising organized violence, citing recent explosive attacks in La Libertad and Trujillo.
• Critics label the law repetitive and ambiguous—pointing to the phrase 'otros de similar características'—and urge clear protocols, more investigative time, training and judicial safeguards to prevent arbitrary use.