Humala court proceedings begin in chaos

Ex-army Maj. Antauro Humala and 173 of his ultra-nationalist followers milled about, chanted, sang and complained bitterly Monday through chaotic court proceedings in their trial for the January 2005 assault on a remote Andean police station. Problems with the audio system forced the judge to twice suspend the hearing, provoking disorder among the accused, who [...]

Congress approves modified version of law to fight organized crime

Congress approved a modified version of legislative decree 992, or the Lost Domain Law, yesterday that will allow authorities to seize the goods of people who are accused of crimes related to drug trafficking, kidnapping, extorsion and money laundering, among others. The legislation was approved with 74 votes in favor, five against and 16 absent [...]

Camisea consortium rejects contract renegotiations

The general manager of Texas-based Hunt Oil, which is leading the international consortium responsible for exporting natural gas from the Camisea gas field, said Thursday they have no plans to renegotiate their contract with the Peruvian government in order to allot part of the supply to the country’s internal market. “We haven’t begun talks about [...]

Peruvian Executive approves citizen arrest clause

Peru’s Executive approved a bill on Wednesday that will implement a Citizen’s Arrest clause found in Article 260 of the Code of Criminal Procedures. The clause will allow citizens to detain and turn over to police anyone found committing a crime in public. The bill could be implemented by April 1 after it is sent [...]

Cusco protests continue, leaving tourists stranded

Thousands of tourists were stranded after commercial flights were canceled and roads blocked to Cusco, as protests over a tourism development law continue today. Authorities suspended commercial flights to Cusco’s Alejandro Velasco Astete airport and  halted train service to Machu Picchu, Peru’s top tourist attraction and ancient citadel of the Incas to prevent property damage [...]

García proposes modifications to contentious education law

President Alan García and Education Minister José Antonio Chang announced Sunday changes to a contentious new education law that will prohibit public schools from hiring teachers who do not finish in the top third of their class while at University or an academic institute. García and Chang said they will modify Supreme Decree 004 by [...]

Peru Congress approves modified tourism development law ahead of Cusco protests

Congress approved a controversial tourism development law on Wednesday that will ease private investment adjacent to Peru’s rich archaeological ruins and historic sites. The legislation was opposed by opposition lawmakers and some regional governments, including authorities from Cusco who say they will begin indefinite protests on Friday that would threaten services to Machu Picchu, Peru’s [...]