Peru’s Congress has passed a contentious law that grants amnesty to members of the military, police, and local defense groups prosecuted for human rights violations during the country’s internal conflict between 1980 and 2000.

The law, which awaits presidential assent, will benefit uniformed personnel under investigation, facing trial, or previously convicted for crimes committed during operations against leftist insurgent groups, including the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement.

The legislation was approved by a congressional commission on Wednesday and introduced by right-wing Popular Force lawmaker Fernando Rospigliosi. The party is led by Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, whose regime was widely criticized for authoritarianism and state brutality.

The law includes provisions for humanitarian amnesty, allowing individuals over the age of 70 who have served or are serving prison sentences to be released.

“Military prisoners over 70 will be released. Open cases will be closed,” Rospigliosi told AFP.

Supporters argue the bill recognizes those who helped fight terrorism. However, critics warn it could foster impunity and erase accountability for atrocities.

“Granting amnesty to military and police officers cannot justify impunity,” said Socialist lawmaker Alex Flores during the heated parliamentary debate.

Human rights organizations have condemned the move. The National Human Rights Coordinator said on social media that “impunity does not hide the crime, it magnifies it,” while Amnesty International warned the law violates the rights of thousands of victims of extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances, and sexual violence.

This development follows a 2024 statute that introduced a limitation period for crimes against humanity committed before 2002 effectively derailing many ongoing investigations tied to Peru’s two decades of political violence, which left an estimated 70,000 people dead.

Peru’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission has documented over 4,000 clandestine graves linked to the conflict.