We reject the human rights violations in Peru, the criminalization of dissent, and political persecution.
Peruvian society is experiencing a period of great political instability amidst one of the most severe global health crises of recent decades. In early November of this year, 2020, massive protests erupted, demanding the resignation of interim president Manuel Merino and denouncing corruption within the state and the political class. The response to these protests was a violent crackdown that tragically resulted in the deaths of two young demonstrators, hundreds of arbitrary and illegal arrests, including the kidnapping and torture of civilians.[1]Something similar happened at the end of the same month, during a protest by workers in the agro-industry and agro-export sector of the Ica region, in which a protester died as a result of the repression.
The climate of instability and threat from state agents has been aggravated by the violent raid on the home and detention of more than 70 people accused of belonging to the Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights (MOVADEF) and the Communist Party of Peru known as "Shining Path," among whom are activists, students, teachers, musicians, actors and writers, who are accused of carrying out proselytizing activities, infiltrating universities and social organizations, and making apologies for political violence.
Under the guise of fighting terrorism, the Peruvian State monitored, infiltrated, and intercepted communications of social organizations, claiming they were carrying out terrorist activities, thus violating the right to freedom of expression, opinion, and political participation, and violating the principle of presumption of innocence in Criminal Law by publicly presenting detainees as terrorists, with all the implications of stigma and social and legal sanctions that this entails.
We observe with concern how the Peruvian state uses accusations of terrorism to intimidate the population and discourage dissent and protest. From the perspective of collective memory processes, it could be argued that the logic of the two evils has permeated a segment of civil society that remains silent in the face of this injustice. This logic, which has frequently served as the foundation of hegemonic memory in the region, appears to persist in those sectors that justify state violence, relativizing its crimes and diluting the responsibilities of those sectors that equate all forms of violence and demonize social struggles.
As the CLACSO Working Group, we reject the use of all forms of repressive violence and defend the need to recognize and respect the legitimate right of peoples to protest and defend ideals against dominant ideologies. We are concerned about the resurgence of violence in Latin America and the persecution of those who fight for social transformation. We call upon social forces committed to human rights in Latin America and Peru to resist the authoritarian backlash that, through various means and strategies that violate fundamental guarantees, seeks to demobilize and intimidate the population. We stand in solidarity with those who today suffer human rights violations while seeking a more just and democratic future.
[1] https://derechoshumanos.pe/2020/11/verdad-y-justicia-para-la-generacion-del-bicentenario-y-para-todo-el-pais/
December 21th 2020
CLACSO Working Group
Collective memories and resistance practices
This statement expresses the position of the Working Group Collective memories and resistance practices and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
