Peru
Peru exhibits mid-range performance across three (Rights, Rule of Law and Participation) and high-range performance in Representation. It is amongst the top 25 per cent of countries in the world in several factors of Representation, Rights and Participation. Over the last five years, Peru has experienced significant declines in Freedom of the Press, Absence of Corruption and Elected Government. In recent years, instability has been notable, exemplified by the controversial removal for moral incapacity of former President Vizcarra in 2020, followed by violent clashes between police and protesters, including harassment and attacks faced by journalists covering demonstrations. The 2020 general election and Covid-19 pandemic also affected Freedom of the Press, with many major news outlets experiencing financial cutbacks. Peru is an upper-middle income country that is heavily reliant on commodity exports such as copper, gold and animal products.
From 1968 to 1980, a military junta that emphasized labor and agrarian reform ruled the country. However, poverty rates and inequality in land ownership continued. In 1980, the Maoist group Sendero Luminoso offered radical land redistribution and launched the brutally violent “People’s War” against the government. In the 1990s, the government prioritized the defeat of such movements, and the resulting conflict left an estimated 70,000 deaths. In this context, serious and widespread human rights violations and abuses were committed, over which a truth commission was established, and the then-president was tried and convicted for some of such violations. The country returned to democracy in 2001, but the legacy of the armed conflict continues to shape politics, partly due to continued socioeconomic and racial inequality. Indigenous Peoples comprise 45 per cent of the country’s population, but despite Constitutional and legal protections they face political disempowerment, exclusion from social services, land encroachment, and disproportionate levels of poverty due to lack of enforcement and racial bias. Relatedly, environmental activists are frequently subject to intimidation, harassment, and stigmatization in the country. Other minorities (Afro-Peruvians), and LGBTQIA+ people and women face pervasive discrimination and violence. After a 2020 law requiring equal representation, the country has made strides toward greater gender parity in politics. However, widespread gender-based violence remains a serious problem and Peruvian women and girls, especially from indigenous communities, are vulnerable to sex trafficking.
A fragmented political party system and the repeated use of impeachment, moral incapacity and dissolution of Congress have contributed to persistent conflict between the executive and the opposition-led legislature. This, in turn, has hindered government functionality. In December 2022, this situation reached a boiling point, and former President Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested. Since then, the country has been engulfed in a string of protests, some of these violent and resulting in deaths from clashes with police. An additional contentious issue is the country’s current constitution, with several groups and parties pushing for a new constitution to address democratic discontent.
Looking ahead, it will be important to monitor the Absence of Corruption and Predictable Enforcement, as these have been key issues in the last two decades, leading at times to crises and changes in government; the country has had seven different presidents in the last decade. It is also important to watch how leaders respond to protests and the impacts on Freedom of Association and Assembly, Freedom of Movement and Personal Integrity and Security.
Monthly Event Reports
December 2023 | Former president Fujimori granted humanitarian pardon
Former President Alberto Fujimori has been granted a humanitarian pardon by Peru’s Constitutional Court. The 85-year-old former president’s health has been mentioned as the basis for this pardon. He had been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for ordering extrajudicial killings carried out by an army group, including the 1991 Barrios Altos and La Cantuta killings. A previous pardon had been overturned, given its implications for Peru’s international human rights obligations. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), considering a request for provisional measures from victims’ families, called on the Peruvian government not to release Fujimori, reasoning that the nature of his crimes is incompatible with a humanitarian pardon. Once released, the IACtHR stated that Peru had flouted its rulings, which are binding on the Peruvian state. Fujimori’s conviction came after years of eluding justice, and victims’ families and activists have expressed their rejection of the decision.
September 2023 | State of emergency is declared in parts of Lima to address increase in violent crime
On 18 September, President Dina Boluarte announced a state of emergency to take effect the following day, in the Lima districts of Lurigancho and San Martin de Porres, as well as in the district of Sullana in Piura, in order to address an increase in crime. According to officials, while national police will continue to lead in public security, the state of emergency will enable the military to assist in enforcement. As a consequence of the state of emergency, certain rights will be suspended, such as the inviolability of the home and freedom of assembly and movement. In early October, the Council of Ministers extended the state of emergency to the districts of Lince and Cercado, in Lima.
July 2023 | Protesters participate in Lima “takeover” to demand Congressmembers and President to step down
On 19 July, mass protests against the government took place in cities and provinces representing about a third of the country’s territory, according to the country’s national human rights institution (Defensoria del Pueblo). Particularly in Lima, protesters called for a “takeover” to demand Dina Boluarte’s resignation and early general elections, as well as a constitutional assembly. Clashes between protesters and police left at least four injured in Lima and at least ten people were detained by police.
April 2023 | Government establishes a state of emergency to control migration
President Dina Boluarte announced a series of measures to control migration to the country, including the implementation of a state of emergency in the border regions of Tumbes, Piura, Cajamarca, Amazonas, Loreto, Madre de Dios, and Tacna. Other measures will include reforms to migration regulations in order to provide a pathway to regularize undocumented migrants, and legal reform to allow armed forces to permanently support tasks related to migration control. President Boluarte stated that an increase in crime is correlated to increased migration, and she asserted that mainly Venezuelan and some Haitian nationals are those who are “unfortunately committing these acts” of burglary and other crimes. News organizations have pointed to the lack of evidence to support these allegations, and along with organizations such as Amnesty International, have criticized the use of stigmatizing language that portrays irregular migrants as criminals.
Explore past monthly event reports
GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022
Basic Information
Human Rights Treaties
Global State of Democracy Indices
Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years
Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time