IACHR Requests IA Court Grant Provisional Measures in Favor of Jorge Luis Salas Arenas, President of the National Election Jury in Peru

July 20, 2023

Washington, D.C.—On July 18, 2023, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) requested that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IA Court) grant provisional measures in favor of Jorge Luis Salas Arenas and his immediate family to protect their rights to life and personal integrity in Peru.

Jorge Luis Salas Arenas is a Supreme Court judge and is the president of the National Election Jury of Peru. He has been a beneficiary of IACHR precautionary measures since July 2021, as a result of the serious, urgent risk he has been exposed to.

The IACHR took into account the fact that in his role as president of the National Election Jury, the highest judicial body for the Peruvian electoral system, Jorge Luis Salas Arenas carries out work unlike that of other judges in the country due to the issues that he rules on. The IACHR also noted that Judge Salas Arenas has been the target of harassment campaigns, stigmatization, and questioning by political and social sectors as he goes about his work, as well as intimidation, doxing, harassment, and death threats. In its Report on the Human Rights Situation in Peru, published on May 3, 2023, the IACHR observed that fake news campaigns and accusations against electoral authorities took place in the aftermath of the 2021 presidential elections.

The IACHR deemed that the measures implemented by the State have fallen short of mitigating the factors that generate risk for Jorge Luis Salas Arenas. As a consequence, his rights are at extreme risk and he is potentially being exposed to acts that could lead to violations of his rights. His family is also at risk as they may be subject to reprisals due to their relationship with him.  

As a consequence, and in accordance with Article 63(2) of the American Convention and Article 27 of the Rules of Procedure of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the IACHR requested that the IA Court grant provisional measures in favor of Jorge Luis Salas Arenas and his family and ordered the State of Peru to protect the proposed beneficiaries.

Specifically, the IACHR requested that the IA Court require the State of Peru to implement the following course of action:

1. adopt appropriate measures to effectively protect the rights to life and personal integrity of Jorge Luis Salas Arenas, supreme court judge, who currently serves as president of the National Election Jury, including the members of his immediate family who have been duly identified;
2. adopt the necessary measures to address the pattern of factors that have generated the risk facing Jorge Luis Salas Arenas in his capacity as president of the National Election Jury; and
3. maintain the protection measures that have been adopted in accordance with the principle of consultation with the proposed beneficiary and his legal representatives.

Provisional measures are issued by the IA Court in extremely serious, urgent cases to avoid people experiencing irreparable harm. They are binding for States, and the decisions contained therein require States to adopt specific actions to safeguard rights and/or protect the lives of people who are at risk.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 161/23

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