Human rights subcommittee disbanded after fujimorista appointed to head group.
| Autor | Jana, Elsa Chanduvi |
The controversial appointment of a fujimorista deputy--who vowed to investigate alleged irregularities in Peru's truth and reconciliation commission--as head of a congressional human rights subcommittee was ratified Nov. 11, days after it appeared that a previous vote in her favor had been overturned. But the subcommittee was later disbanded in what was considered a victory for human rights.
Following a public outcry when Deputy Martha Chavez was first elected, the Oficialia Mayor del Congreso had said that the appointment of Chavez, a hard-liner under President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), as head of the Grupo de Trabajo de Evaluacion de la Politica de Derechos Humanos (DDHH) was invalid because the subcommittee lacked a four-member quorum when voting on Oct. 31. His ruling, based on a membership of six, was sent to the president of the congressional Comision de Justicia on Nov. 7.
However, when the subcommittee met again Nov. 11, members said it only had five members. The subcommittee's three fujimorista deputies-Pedro Spadaro, Julio Rosas, and Chavez--voted to appoint Chavez. Mauricio Mulder of the APRA party abstained, and Heriberto Benitez did not attend. Just before she entered the meeting room before the second vote, Chavez told reporters that the investigation of alleged irregularities in the truth and reconciliation commission (Comision de la Verdad y Reconciliacion, CVR) had already begun.
Earlier, when it first appeared that Chavez would not keep the position, Benitez had told Canal N, "All Peru can rest assured that Martha Chavez won't be the DDHH coordinator." He called for calmness pending a new selection process.
Chavez was a party leader under Fujimori, who was condemned in 2009 to 25 years of prison for crimes against humanity (NotiSur, May 1, 2009). Her appointment at the end of October sparked indignation from relatives of Fujimori's victims and human rights organizations, as well as civil and citizen groups.
Students, human rights activists, and unionists on Nov. 5 staged a demonstration in the downtown Plaza San Martin demanding the fujimorista's appointment be annulled. That same day the Comision de Justicia--with a majority and the support of APRA deputies--rejected a petition by Benitez of Solidaridad Nacional that the subcommittee be disbanded.
Although Chavez's appointment was ratified, on Nov. 6 the commission asked the Oficialfa Mayor del Congreso to rule on its validity considering only three of six...
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