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12h ago

Peru’s Constitutional Court Upholds Law Limiting Crimes-Against-Humanity Cases to Post-2002

A 4–3 ruling leaves Law 32107 intact on non‑retroactivity grounds, prompting a legislative fix to the Penal Code.

TC declara infundada demanda contra la Ley de Amnistía y pone en riesgo que los jueces puedan inaplicarla
La norma establece que solo se aplican estos delitos para hechos ocurridos después del 1 de julio de 2002
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Los jueces peruanos ante la ley de lesa humanidad, por Ana Cristina Neyra Zegarra

Overview

  • The Constitutional Court rejected challenges from the Lima Bar Association and the Public Ministry, leaving Law 32107 in force after challengers failed to secure the five votes needed to strike it down.
  • Under the law, crimes against humanity and war crimes apply only to acts from July 1, 2002, while earlier conduct is governed by the 1991 Penal Code, including its statutes of limitations.
  • The majority cited due‑process principles, invoking non‑retroactivity, the right to a reasonable time, and personal liberty, and referenced the Rome Statute’s entry into force in Peru.
  • The court urged Congress to amend the Penal Code to clearly incorporate the elements of crimes against humanity, including the required contextual definition.
  • Reactions split quickly, with legislator Fernando Rospigliosi celebrating potential annulments of older cases as rights groups such as the CNDDHH warned of conflicts with Inter‑American Court jurisprudence, while legal experts noted judges may still assess case‑by‑case inaplicación.