Minister of Justice justifies a project aimed at tougher penalties for crimes affecting life and property

Minister of Justice, Jose TelloReasonable Bill 4271, introduced a few days ago by the Executive Branch to Congress, which aims to amend the Penal Code “to strengthen the state’s response to crimes that affect life, body and health, and public and private goods committed during the state of emergency” .

The initiative, which proposes to increase the punishment for crimes committed “during a state of emergency and social upheaval”, proposes, among other things, to increase the punishment for minor bodily harm from 8 to 14 years (the current punishment is 2 to 5 years) and penalties from 4 to 8 years for causing property damage under aggravating circumstances (currently the penalty is 1 to 6 years).

In this regard, in an interview with RPP Noticias, Tello Alfaro avoided calling this initiative authoritarian, which aims to increase penalties for crimes committed in a situation of social upheaval, such as protests taking place across the country. According to him, “this is the position not only of the executive branch, but also of the members of the State Council.”

“We, fulfilling the request Power of attorneyWe worked on a draft that was finally presented last year (proposal) when we had State Councils aimed at resolving the situation of the political crisis in its initial stage. The project is presented this year, at the beginning of this month. There were a number of changes in this project,” he said.

“You have to separate things: the context of the protest is fine with us, you have to respect the protest, but you also have to be careful that the protest does not degenerate and end in acts of violence. I think we all understand this, because it’s one thing to take to the streets to protest, and another to take over airports, ”he added.

Reporting on protests in Peru

days ago Amnesty International asked the Peruvian authorities “to refrain from the excessive use of force” in responding to social demonstrations spreading in the country amid a serious political crisis.

“State crackdown on protesters is only exacerbating the crisis in Peru. The authorities must put an end to the excessive use of force against demonstrations and guarantee the right to peaceful protest using legal and proportionate means necessary to restore the safety of citizens,” the statement said. .

Erica Guevara Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty Internationalpointed out that in order to prevent a further escalation of violence, the authorities should “strive for dialogue and put human rights at the center of their response to the crisis.”

The organization said it “verified footage of police firing tear gas canisters directly and at close range from the bodies of demonstrators” in Plaza San Martín in central Lima.

“Force must not be used except in strictly necessary cases, proportionate and for legitimate purposes, which can then be subject to the process of prosecution. In situations of violence, law enforcement agencies must individualize the response in relation to those who are responsible for creating risk of life and the integrity of other people,” he said.

Amnesty International He also believes that “all complaints of human rights violations” should be “promptly, comprehensively, independently and impartially investigated” in the context of the current crisis.

“Amnesty International is particularly concerned about the enforcement of the Law on Police Protection (No. 3110) since March 2020, which allows the National Police to go unpunished for excessive use of force, which is contrary to Peru’s obligations under international law,” he said.

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