kabarsula Closing the investigation into forced sterilisations perpetuates impunity bandar SLOT INDONESIA
Amnesty International condemns the decision by Peru’s Public Prosecutor’s Office to close the investigation into the forced sterilisation of 4,172 Peruvian women during the 1990s. This decision was taken pursuant to Law 32107, passed in 2024, which allows statutes of limitations to be applied to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed before 1 July 2002.
“Closing an investigation that the Public Prosecutor’s Office itself recognises as involving crimes against humanity is an affront to the victims, who have waited almost 30 years for justice. The Peruvian state cannot use a law that contravenes international law to block their path to truth, justice and reparation. This decision must be reversed and Law 32107 repealed to prevent it from continuing to be used as a tool of impunity,” said Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International.
Closing an investigation that the Public Prosecutor’s Office itself recognises as involving crimes against humanity is an affront to the victims, who have waited almost 30 years for justice.”
Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International.
During the 1990s, at least 200,000 people; most of them Indigenous women and women from rural communities; were sterilised, many without their full and informed consent and through deception, threats, pressure and other forms of coercion. This took place under the National Reproductive Health and Family Planning Programme, a state population-control policy targeting people living in poverty in Peru.
Amnesty International considers that the widespread forced sterilisation of women in Peru during the 1990s amounts to crimes against humanity, which are not subject to statutes of limitations under the international standards and obligations binding on the Peruvian state.
“For decades, victims have faced obstacles, delays and decisions that have denied them justice. Forced sterilisations violated their rights to personal integrity, health, reproductive autonomy and privacy and, in some cases, resulted in their deaths. The Peruvian state must place victims at the centre of its response and ensure that all those responsible are held to account. It is outrageous that a law promoting impunity is being used in an attempt to deny victims their rights to truth, justice and reparation,” said Jennie Dador Tozzini, Director of Amnesty International Peru.
In March 2026, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found the Peruvian state responsible for the forced sterilisation and death of Celia Ramos Durand in 1997, as well as for the lack of due diligence and the unjustified delay in investigating the case. The Court found that the policy was discriminatory and ordered measures of reparation, guarantees of non-recurrence and a public acknowledgement of the state’s international responsibility. This ruling represented an act of justice for Celia Ramos’s family and, symbolically, for thousands of victims.
This latest attempt to close the case, more than 20 years after the first prosecutorial investigation began, sends a clear message of impunity and contravenes the Peruvian state’s international obligations to investigate, prosecute and punish these grave human rights violations.
“Every year of delay compounds the harm caused and reinforces an impunity that the Peruvian state has an obligation to combat. There is still time to reverse this decision. Civil society organisations will pursue every available avenue to ensure that the authorities fulfil their duty to listen to victims and guarantee their right to access justice,” added Jennie Dador Tozzini.
“Every year of delay compounds the harm caused and reinforces an impunity that the Peruvian state has an obligation to combat. There is still time to reverse this decision.”
Jennie Dador Tozzini, Director of Amnesty International Peru.
Amnesty International calls on the Peruvian state to reverse the closure of the investigation and repeal Law 32107, as well as any other legislation that contravenes international human rights law. The authorities must also guarantee the continuation of the investigation and ensure that victims and their families have access to truth, justice, full reparation and effective guarantees of non-recurrence.
Judges must ensure that no domestic law overrides the human rights protected by Peru’s Constitution and the international treaties ratified by the Peruvian state. Peruvian society has the right to know the full truth about these crimes, and victims have the right to obtain justice.
Further information:
Peru: Another step towards consolidating impunity
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