The Congress of Peru has given this Friday a first approval to a bill that establishes that crimes allegedly committed by military and Police agents in the exercise of their functions shall be exclusively handled by the military or police jurisdiction, excluding ordinary justice. A second vote in the plenary session and its subsequent promulgation by the Executive are still pending.
The proposal was approved with 60 votes in favor, 34 against, and 10 abstentions, thanks to the support of parties such as Fuerza Popular and Renovación Popular, while the majority of the opposing votes came from left-wing blocs.
If it finally comes into force, the norm will prevent a member of the Armed Forces or the Police from being subjected in parallel to a trial in a civil court for the same facts when a procedure is already open in the military or police channel, as reported by the broadcaster RPP.
"In this way, objective and specialized justice can be guaranteed. Above all, justice that understands the work that our personnel are carrying out," defended congressman Alejandro Muñante, from Renovación Popular.
Conversely, congresswoman Susel Paredes (Cambio Democrático) has denounced that the initiative breaks the principle of equality before the law between the civilian population and members of the Armed Forces and the Police. "A criminal is a criminal, whether they wear a uniform or not. Here, judges and prosecutors are being disrespected (...). This is giving them an umbrella and a special status that does not correspond," she warned.
The bill must be promulgated before June 24 for it to continue its processing in the current legislative period. Its progress occurs in a climate of strong political tension due to the presidential elections in which the far-right candidate Keiko Fujimori faced the left-wing contender Roberto Sánchez last Friday. The latest official results place Fujimori with 50.012% of the votes compared to 49.98% for Sánchez, with 98.32% of the ballots already counted.
For this Saturday, a march in support of Sánchez has been called under the slogan "The People Are Respected," organized by his party, Juntos por el Perú.