Press Releases:

August 22, 2006

ICTJ Launches Book on Reparations in Peru

Analyzes Large-scale Plan for Victims and Recommends Steps toward Implementation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Kasia Reterska
Press Relations Officer
TEL +1 917 637-3847
E-MAIL kreterska@ictj.org

NEW YORK, August 22, 2006-In collaboration with the Lima-based Association for Human Rights (APRODEH), and with Oxfam's support, on Monday evening the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) launched Reparations in the Peruvian Transition-The Story of an Unfinished Process (Reparaciones en la Transición Peruana-Memorias de un Proceso Inacabado), a book examining the long and often tortuous path toward reparations for victims of the internal conflict in Peru.

The book was presented at a public ceremony on Monday at the Hotel José Antonio in Lima, accompanied by comments from several experts on reparations, including a former member of the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and a representative of Peru's Human Rights Defenders Office.

Co-authored by the Center's Lisa Magarrell and Julie Guillerot, the ICTJ's local associate in Peru and former Research Director at APRODEH, this book seeks to capture the lessons of the Peruvian experience in conceptualizing reparations for the tens of thousands of victims of human rights abuses and political violence that wracked Peru from 1980 to 2000.

"The rights of victims who suffered during a previous regime are often at the bottom of the list of priorities for governments in times of transition," said Magarrell, head of the Center's Peru program and an expert on reparations. "With this book, we hope to broaden public knowledge of the Peruvian experience in establishing a comprehensive reparations program, while highlighting the critical fact that reparations constitute a central obligation of any state seeking to address its legacy of human rights violations."

This book situates its analysis of the Peruvian transition-which began with the fall of President Alberto Fujimori's regime in 2000 and is traced here through December 2005-within a comprehensive framework detailing its principal actors, challenges, and achievements. While it provides comprehensive information about the reparations scheme, the book also tells the unfinished story of the struggle by victims and human rights defenders to achieve redress as they wait for their government to fully implement the plan.

The book comes at a crucial time, following a political transition brought about by recent democratic elections, which many fear could jeopardize the gains made by previous efforts at truth-seeking, accountability, and reparations.

Although the former government took some important steps toward reparations-by passing legislation and regulations to implement a comprehensive reparations plan-their unfinished work is threatened by a notable shift in national priorities, away from the transitional justice agenda.

"As the new government takes its first steps and we look toward upcoming regional and local elections later this year, reparations and victims' rights are at great risk of being erased from the political agenda," said Guillerot, from her office in Lima. "We urge the government to respect the spirit and objectives of the TRC's recommendations on reparations and to put them into action. After such a deep and lengthy struggle for justice, the Peruvian people deserve to see promises of reparations for past abuses fulfilled, regardless of who is at the helm."

As similar challenges are faced in other parts of the world, there is much to be learned from the Peruvian experience, even as the next chapter of this story continues to unfold.
In the coming months, the actions of the new President, Alan Garcia, will be under the watchful eye of the international community, while the legacy of the TRC awaits the full attention of the Peruvian State.

"The end of August marks the third anniversary of the TRC's public release of its final report and recommendations," noted Magarrell. "The question we should be asking at this point is not whether there will be reparations for victims, but when?"

The Spanish version of the book will be posted on the ICTJ's website (www.ictj.org) in late August 2006. It is expected to be available in English later this year.

The ICTJ's Reparations Work in Peru

The Center began its work in Peru in February 2001 by collaborating with local actors on transitional justice issues. After providing initial comments on the draft terms of reference that ultimately became the TRC's mandate, the ICTJ continued to provide advice, substantive support, and technical assistance through missions conducted by its staff.

The Center also facilitated contacts between the Peruvian Commissioners and members of other truth commissions from around the world. Between August 2001 and the close of the Commission's work in 2003, more than a dozen ICTJ consultants-with experience in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, South Africa, and elsewhere- provided input to the TRC and local NGOs on issues including database design, investigative methodology, international criminal law, human rights law, humanitarian law, public hearings, and reparations policies.

Early in 2002, shortly after the establishment of the TRC, APRODEH and the ICTJ contributed to the national debate on reparations by establishing an interdisciplinary research project on the topic, designed by Magarrell and Guillerot. The resulting document, "Parameters for the Design of a Reparations Program in Peru," substantially influenced the recommendations the TRC would make on this subject. Following the end of the Commission's work in 2003, the two institutions collaborated again to produce an analysis of policies and legal norms adopted by the government on reparations issues and consultation with regional and national governmental officials, NGOs, and victim organizations. Magarrell and Guillerot produced a second research paper, "Input on the Debate Regarding the Purpose, Nature, and Process of a National Registry of the Victims of the Peruvian Conflict," analyzing steps toward full reparations, which have since been legislated but await implementation.

In September 2003 the ICTJ and APRODEH launched an informational bulletin tracking post-TRC development, "Y después de la CVR ¿Qué?" ("What comes after the TRC?"). They have since been distributing the bulletin on a weekly basis to more than 300 individuals, including members of NGOs, international organizations, and victims' groups.

About the ICTJ

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) assists countries pursuing accountability for past mass atrocity or human rights abuse. The Center works in societies emerging from repressive rule or armed conflict, as well as in established democracies where historical injustices or systemic abuse remain unresolved.

In order to promote justice, peace, and reconciliation, government officials and nongovernmental advocates are likely to consider a variety of transitional justice approaches including both judicial and nonjudicial responses to human rights crimes. The ICTJ assists in the development of integrated, comprehensive, and localized approaches to transitional justice comprising five key elements: prosecuting perpetrators, documenting and acknowledging violations through non-judicial means such as truth commissions, reforming abusive institutions, providing reparations to victims, and facilitating reconciliation processes.

The Center is committed to building local capacity and generally strengthening the emerging field of transitional justice, and works closely with organizations and experts around the world to do so. By working in the field through local languages, the ICTJ provides comparative information, legal and policy analysis, documentation, and strategic research to justice and truth-seeking institutions, nongovernmental organizations, governments and others.