Lima, 10 October 2025. President Dina Boluarte’s term came to an end in the same way it began, with demonstrations calling for her resignation. A new generation of Peruvians, the youngest, took to the streets calling for immediate efforts to curb the crime wave sweeping the country. The voices of the protesters are reminiscent of those that in 2022 also rejected the new government appointed by Dina Boluarte, who went from being vice-president to president when the serving president was removed from office. In 2022, the protesters were killed for exercising their right to protest.
The cause of Boluarte’s latest downfall was not the demonstrations, or the 49 murders associated with her administration or the complex corruption schemes in which she has been implicated, or her blatant incompetence when it came to ending the systematic violence that has claimed thousands of victims. All these serious crimes were repeatedly covered up by the same political parties whose congressional representatives passed laws that weakened legislation on organized crime and provided impunity for the crimes against humanity committed during the internal armed conflict, thereby eroding the country’s justice system and democratic institutions. Congress also contributed to the security crisis by harassing magistrates who were not to the government’s liking, and the executive branch dissolved the police teams in charge of investigating acts of corruption committed by officials in power.
The Peruvian Congress is as much to blame for the profound democratic crisis the country is undergoing as former President Boluarte. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisations in Peru have repeatedly denounced the dubious power pact that kept Boluarte in power. In less than three years, the ultra-conservative coalition severely frayed the fabric of democracy.
"The amnesty law granted amnesty for all crimes against humanity committed by the police and military, while the law targeting NGOs limits their ability to defend the victims of state violence. All these anti-democratic actions, not to mention the attacks on the Office of the Prosecutor, the judiciary, and the electoral system, have as their ultimate goal to curtail the independence of state institutions and destroy the rule of law", explained Gloria Cano, FIDH Secretary General.
With the fall of Boluarte, one of the most unpopular governments in the country’s history comes to an end, bringing to a close another chapter in Peru’s long political and institutional crisis, which has dragged on for almost a decade. The protracted political crisis dates back to 2016, a year in which there were eight presidents, and will not be resolved by simply changing the president. The new Head of State lacks the democratic credentials and ethical and professional track record required for the highest office in the country, his tenure is conditional on his performance during the transition period, public support and street demonstrations.
To protect the lives and safety of the people affected by the wave of crime and to restore the State’s capacity to protect human rights, the new authorities must prioritize public insecurity in observance of the rule of law, human rights, and due process.
Given the current context of great uncertainty, the FIDH urgently calls on all state institutions in Peru to repeal anti-crime laws, cease the harassment of magistrates, safeguard the integrity of the electoral system, and monitor the 2026 elections very closely.