Peru - June 2025

On 12 June, Congress passed an amendment to the Constitution that would reintroduce parliamentary immunity for common offenses, which had been removed in 2021 in an attempt to eliminate impunity and enhance anticorruption efforts. The amendment grants lawmakers immunity from criminal prosecution or arrest unless Congress authorizes such actions. Immunity would, however, not cover parliamentarians who were caught in the act of committing a crime, or immediately thereafter. Proponents of the change argue that most countries in the region have parliamentary immunity and that its purpose is to shield lawmakers from improper political or judicial pressure. Critics consider that it will enable impunity. The amendment must be ratified by the next legislature, which will be elected during the April 2026 general election.

Sources: Congreso de la Republica, La Republica, Expreso