IACHR

Press Release

IACHR Welcomes Enactment of Law on Search for Missing Persons from Period of Violence in Peru

July 25, 2016

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Washington, D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) welcomes the enactment, on June 22, 2016, of Law No. 30470, the "Law on the Search for Missing Persons" who disappeared during the 1980-2000 period of violence in Peru. The law is a fundamental step in Peru's compliance with its international human rights obligations with regard to victims of disappearances that took place during the armed conflict, including compliance with recommendations issued by the IACHR.

The law proposes to "give priority to a humanitarian approach during the search for those who disappeared during the 1980-2000 period of violence, coordinating and arranging for measures related to the search for and recovery, analysis, identification, and return of human remains." This humanitarian approach aims to relieve the "suffering, uncertainty, and need for answers of the family members of those who disappeared," who are also recognized as having the right to the truth regarding the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of their loved ones and the status of the disappearance, including their whereabouts or, in case of death, the circumstances of the death and the place of interment.

To that end, the law assigns to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights the responsibility of designing, approving, implementing, and carrying out the National Plan to Search for Missing Persons, and also creates a National Registry of Missing Persons and Burial Sites. The law also provides for psychosocial support for family members in the context of the search process.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 099/16