LIMA, (Reuters) – Peru said on Thursday the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has been “abusing” its powers and should be urgently reformed, joining a growing number of Latin American countries to attack the panel after being faulted for rights abuses.
The government has harshly criticized the commission since late December, when it said Peru had violated the human rights of three Marxist insurgents who were summarily executed after surrendering to commandos who raided the Japanese ambassador’s house in Lima in 1997 and freed dozens of hostages.
The commission has sent the findings of its investigation to its sister organization, the Inter-American Court on Human Rights, where families of the victims could demand reparations.
“All of the commandos who participated in the raid are heroes to us,” Peruvian Prime Minister Oscar Valdes told Congress on Tuesday. “The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has been committing abuses that other friendly countries have made serious complaints about too.”
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela have bristled at what they call overreach by the commission, mainly for weighing in on disputes that are still being heard in domestic courts.
They have said the panels, widely seen as the most important bodies of the 35-member Organization of American States, should be reformed.
An OAS official said a working group led by Brazil and Colombia will present recommendations this month to the OAS Permanent Council on how to change the panels.
Peru has long had a tense relationship with the commission and the court, which have heard scores of cases related to the state’s tough crackdown on leftist insurgents during a civil war in the 1980s and 1990s that killed 69,000 people.
President Ollanta Humala, who like Valdes is a former military officer, took office in July vowing to defend human rights but has since criticized the Commission for encroaching on Peruvian sovereignty.
Rights advocates say the panels provide crucial protections for citizens in countries with weak judiciaries or a history of authoritarian leaders.
The commission can investigate and observe human rights cases in OAS countries but some countries, like the United States, do not recognize the jurisdiction of the court or its power to enforce rulings.
