Peru’s President Dina Boluarte, center, in Lima after signing bill No. 366 of 2023 into law. (Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images)

On August 13 2025, recently impeached Peruvian President Dina Boluarte signed bill No. 366 of 2023 into law, which provided amnesty to those who committed crimes against humanity during the country’s internal conflict between 1980 and 2000. Many of those who committed the atrocities were allied with the president and the nation’s legislative majority. Throughout the conflict, the military, police, and self defense committees carried out several human rights abuses while fighting the Maoist Shining Path insurgent force . The law garnered swift criticism from citizens and human rights organizations as it violated the nation’s obligations under international law. Boluarte defended her decision by claiming that it provided justice to those who fought against terrorism, even though many of the injustices such as forced sterilizations were conducted on civilians. This was not an isolated incident, as Boluarte has continually taken measures to consolidate her power, protect her supporters and suppress dissent since she ascended to the presidency in 2022. Since 2016, Peru has endured a period of political instability, evidenced by a revolving door of presidential impeachments and resignations. How has Peru’s legacy of conflict and political instability affected the current period of democratic erosion?

The Lost Decade and Peru’s Internal Conflict

In order to address the current democratic crisis in Peru, it is necessary to discuss the legacy of Peru’s internal armed conflict and the ongoing impact of the democratically elected dictator Alberto Fujimori. As previously mentioned, the conflict began in 1980: After Peru’s military government began the process to implement elections, the terrorist group Shining Path launched guerilla warfare against the government, hoping to overthrow it and establish a communist regime. At the same time, an economic crisis called the Lost Decade resulted in hyperinflation, job losses, food shortages, and a 25% decline in Peru’s GDP. The dilemma affected rural and indigenous Peruvians the most, which the Shining Path used to gain their support. The group would take control of many rural indigenous villages and impose repressive policies that restricted their social and political mobility. The democratization of Peru stalled as backsliding caused by structural problems took effect. The government began to target rural and indigenous Peruvians because of their increased support of the Shining Path, and the group’s occupation of their communities. At the same time, Peru was influenced by neighboring Argentina’s use of state sponsored terrorism and the United States’ interventions throughout Latin America to prevent and overthrow communist regimes. 

Fujimori and Crimes Against Humanity

In 1990, conservative Alberto Fujimori was elected to the presidency after campaigning on change. He was a political outsider that founded a new political party (Cambio 90) and focused on defeating the Shining Path and other minor terrorist groups once and for all. While he won the presidency with over 60% of the vote, the neoliberal FREDEMO party won the highest number of seats in both chambers of Peru’s legislature. Two years later, Fujimori would perform a self-coup, colloquially known as the Fujimorazo, on the nation’s government and dissolved the constitution. The coup was one element of Plan Verde, a scheme crafted by Peru’s military in 1989 to initially overthrow former President Alan Garcia. It also called for the government control of the media, privatization of state owned corporations, and most infamously forced sterilization of Peru’s indigenous population. It is estimated that over 300,000 Peruvians, most of whom were indigenous women, were sterilized without their knowledge or consent. Fujimori was responsible for authorizing  the military, national intelligence service, and self defense committees to commit murders, kidnappings, and assassinations in the name of fighting terrorism. He also activated Grupo Colina, a death squad modeled after similar groups commanded by Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Between 1980 and 2000, at least 50,000 Peruvians were killed by the Shining Path and the country’s military, police, and self defense committees.  While countless atrocities occurred before Fujimori, he increased the sheer amount of violence and weaponization of the state.

Fujimori was reelected in 1996 under a new constitution and initially won a third term in 2000 through fraudulent elections. After mass protests and public calls for a new election, he fled to Japan and the legislature removed him from office under the grounds that he was “permanently morally disabled.” Fujimori was later convicted of crimes against humanity in 2009 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. 

Current Political Crisis and Democratic Erosion

Since 2016, Peru has experienced an ongoing political crisis after a relatively stable period since Fujimori exited the presidency. However, his legacy continues to be present in the nation’s political arena as his daughter Keiko Fujimori has led the conservative Popular Force Party since it was established in 2010. The party’s ideology is founded upon an authoritarian leadership style, neoliberal economic policy, and above all an allegiance to former President Fujimori. In 2016, the party won an absolute majority in Peru’s Congress, while centre-right politician Pedro Pablo Kuczynski narrowly defeated Keiko Fujimori for the presidency. Popular Force would go on to take advantage of institutional flaws to disrupt the Kuczynski administration, and would attempt to impeach him twice. Interestingly, Keiko would at times ally herself with the president, and helped to secure a pardon for her father in 2017 that was ultimately overturned. Kuczynski resigned in 2018 during an impeachment vote buying scandal and was replaced by Martín Vizcarra, a largely independent figure. Popular Force and its allies would again use its position in the legislature to launch impeachment proceedings against him, and succeeded on their second attempt. His successor Manuel Merino would also be impeached, which sparked mass protests as many believed it was a parliamentary coup.

At the next general election in 2021, there was hope that the political crisis would improve. The newly formed left wing party Free Peru won the most seats out of any other party in Peru’s legislature, and the party’s nominee for president Pedro Castillo narrowly won against Keiko Fujimori. However, Popular Force and its allies would yet again for a coalition government, reviving the chance for political instability to continue. Keiko and her party would yet again attempt to impeach the President of Peru. After their first two attempts did not succeed, Castillo attempted to perform a self coup through the dissolution of Congress and failed. In 2022, he would be successfully removed, and his Vice President Dina Boluarte succeeded him. During protests following Castillo’s impeachment, Boluarte’s government violently suppressed protests, including the massacre of 18 people by the national police.

Realizing that the legislature would target her next, Boluarte would begin to ally with her once political enemies. She would help Fujimorists gain control of several government offices, courts, and military positions. The amnesty bill was merely a way to symbolize Boluarte’s support for Fujimorists. In the past ten years, the Popular Forced led Congress has utilized institutional flaws that have given them immense power over the executive. At the same time, political polarization and structural problems caused by Peru’s multiparty and multiethnic culture has led to repeated electoral outcomes. However, public opinion may eventually have the power to defeat Fujimorism once again, as it successfully did in 2000.

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