Watch Those Thermals: Lima Police to Monitor Beaches from Paragliders

Police are to begin paragliding over Lima’s beaches next week as part of this year’s summer shore patrol program, according to the city’s chief of police, Oswaldo Hernandez.

One soldier dead and three wounded during narcoterrorist ambush in VRAE

Suspected Shining Path guerrillas based in Peru’s remote Apurimac and Ene River Valleys, or VRAE, ambushed a patrol of soldiers on Monday, leaving one soldier dead and three others wounded. According to daily El Comercio, the attack occurred in Pampa Hermosa, located in the province of Vitzcatán. Though the nature of the injuries, the method [...]

Death toll rises in aftermath of clash between police and indigenous protesters in Peru’s north Amazon jungle

Indigenous communities in Peru’s Amazon, demanding the repeal of a series of decrees they say are promoting unchecked development in their territory, clashed with police on Friday, leaving up to 40 or more people dead, including at least 9 police officers and up to 28 indigenous protesters.

Peru Ombudsman’s Office recommends new law to improve quality of police force

Peru’s Ombudswoman, Beatriz Merino, published a report Friday, recommending a public policy for the police force, to eliminate bribery at police stations and stamp out mistreatment of the public. In February, the new minister of the Interior, Mercedes Cabanillas, asked Merino to work jointly with the ministry to improve the police system. Merino’s integrated proposal [...]

Peruvian human rights groups demand full investigation into allegations of police torture against anti-mining protesters in 2005

With photographs in hand, two human rights groups, the National Human Rights Coordinator, or CNDDHH, and Peru’s Ecumenical Foundation for Development and Peace, or Fedepaz, have demanded a thorough investigation into allegations of the torture and kidnapping of at least 29 anti-mining protesters by police in 2005.

Highway Police Ambushed in Ayacucho, Three Dead

Three police were killed and one wounded Sunday in an ambush by narcoterrorists on the road just outside the city of Huanta, in the department of Ayacucho. The highway patrol had left Huanta at 2:15 am to cover the four-hour route to Luricocha. It was attacked 15 minutes later by about 30 men armed with [...]

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 [...]

Interior Minister receives body of officer slain during Pluspetrol protest

The body of the police officer killed on Saturday during a confrontation between police and indigenous workers who took over operations of the Argentine Pluspetrol oil company in Peru’s north-eastern Loreto Department  was flown to the port city of Callao today. Officer Jaime Reyna Ruiz’s body was received by Interior Minister Luis Alva Castro, who [...]

HRW: Military hampers human rights investigations

A lack of justice for human rights violators during Peru’s 20-year armed conflict is a leading human rights concern in the Andean country, according to New York-based Human Rights Watch. Despite the human rights trial of jailed ex-President Alberto Fujimori, HRW’s 2008 World Report says most perpetrators of human rights abuses continue to evade justice. [...]