Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC; , CVR) (13 July 2001 – 28 August 2003) was a truth and reconciliation commission established by President Alejandro Toledo to investigate the human rights abuses committed during the internal conflict in Peru between the 1980s and 1990s. The TRC was a response to the violent internal conflict between 1980 and 2000 during the administration of Presidents Fernando Belaúnde (1980–1985), Alan García (1985–1990), and Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000). The commission's mandate was to provide a record of human rights and international humanitarian law violations committed in Peru between May 1980 and November 2000, as well as recommend mechanisms to promote and strengthen human rights. The TRC reported on the estimated 70 000 deaths, assassinations, torture, disappearances, displacement, employment of terrorist methods and other human rights violations executed by the State, Shining Path, and the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. The report concluded that there is both institutional and individual accountability, as well as identifying racial and cultural factors that became a catalyst for conflict.
A 2019 study disputed the casualty figures from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, estimating instead "a total of 48,000 killings, substantially lower than the TRC estimate" and concluding that "the Peruvian State accounts for a significantly larger share than the Shining Path." The TRC later came out to respond to these statements, defending his methodology and results.
Background Between 1980 and 2000, Peru experienced an era of political violence characterized by extensive human rights violations. Several regimes of military dictatorship resulted in political and economic instability that increased social tensions within Peru. The internal conflict in Peru was ignited by the 1980 Presidential election that led to guerrilla warfare by several political revolutionary groups. The internal armed conflict resulted in the deaths of approximately 70 000 people and the internal displacement of 600 000 people, as well as extensive damage to both public and private infrastructures. Both state and non-state actors carried out assassinations, kidnapping, forced disappearance, tortures, unfair detentions, serious crimes and other human rights violations. Although rebel groups remain lightly active, the government ended its engagement in the conflict after President Alberto Fujimori was forced to resign in 2000.
Shining Path
The Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) is one of the major Peruvian rebel groups involved in the internal conflict of Peru and was found to be largely responsible for the human rights violations during the 1980s and 1990s. The revolutionary group was organized as a Maoist political group in 1970 after the dissolution of the Communist Party of Peru. The Shining Path employed guerrilla tactics and violent acts of terrorism in an attempt to overthrow the government. The Shining Path ignited the internal conflict in 1980 when it began its revolutionary campaign with its first act of violence in Chuschi, Ayacucho by storming the polling station and burning the ballot boxes on the eve of the first national elections in approximately 10 years. The majority of the acts of violence by the Shining Path were carried out in the Ayacucho region of Peru, where many indigenous populations live in extreme poverty. The group established a presence throughout the country, but mainly operated out of the rural highlands with limited government presence. Their campaign consisted of bombings, assassinations, public executions and other guerrilla attacks against the state.
Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement
The Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru) is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary group formed in 1982 from the influence of Revolutionary Left Movement of the 1960s and the Revolutionary Socialist Party. The revolutionary group was found to be responsible for a significant number of deaths and displacements during the internal conflict, as well as engaged in guerrilla warfare against the military and the Shining Path. The group intended to overthrow the military government and establish a Marxist regime to eliminate Japanese and U.S. imperialism from Peru. Their campaign officially began on 1 June 1984 by broadcasting their first communiqué with a declaration of intent to reform the Peruvian Government through an occupation radio broadcasts systems. The activities of the revolutionary group consisted of bombings, kidnappings, bank robberies, extortion, ambushes, and assassinations, as well as being responsible for several anti-United States attacks. The Túpac Amaru is considered to be a lesser violent rebel group because its guerrilla operations were "designed to support the mass struggle" against the authoritarian governments.
Fernando Belaúnde
Fernando Belaúnde Terry served as President of Peru from 1963 to 1968 and again from 1980 to 1985. Belaúnde was part of the Popular Action (Acción Popular) political party, a centre-right party known for its pro-American position. Economic instability persisted under the Belaúnde administration, experiencing large foreign debt, budget deficits, high inflation rates, costly natural disasters, and weak markets for Peru's exports, causing the government to impose austerity measures for economic development. The internal conflict began as a result of the democratic elections of 1980, with both the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement and the Shining Path implementing a terrorist campaign against the government. The government attempted to suppress the rebel groups through police and armed force operations, resulting in deaths and disappearances beginning to escalate. Human rights groups denounced the widespread abuse of innocent citizens during the struggle against the rebel groups.
Alan García Alan García Pérez served as President of Peru from 1985 to 1990 and again from 2006 to 2011. García was part of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), a centre-left political party. The García Administration inherited the economic and political instability of its predecessor. The government implemented an austerity program as an effort against the Shining Path, but resulted in an economic crisis. Peru's economy suffered a hyperinflation of 7500% during García's presidency, worsening national poverty rates. Conflict between the government and rebel groups escalated to a 'dirty war', in which atrocities were committed by both the rebels and military forces. The armed groups deliberately targeted civilians and government forces responded with execution of suspects, forced disappearances, and unlawful detention. The most notable human rights abuse performed by García's government was the Accomarca massacre of 1985, where more than forty-five civilians were tortured and killed in an attempt to discover the names of members of Shining Path.
Alberto Fujimori Alberto Fujimori served as President of Peru from 1990 to 2000 and was known for his corruption and crimes against humanity under international law. He was head of the Cambio 90 political party, a new right-wing party. Fujimori carried out neo-liberal policies and implemented an austerity policy, known as Fujishock, to eliminate inflation but increase poverty. The failure of the policy led to a military supported autogolpe (self-coup), declaring a state of emergency, dissolving Congress, and calling for a new constitution, in which Fujimori ran unopposed. Fujimori increased the government's influence over military operations, using it as primary means against the rebel groups. The government implemented an anti-insurgency campaign, including arming villagers and conducting secretive military trials of suspected members of rebel groups. Fujimori was responsible for the Barrios Altos massacre, where six members of the Peruvian armed forces executed 15 people allegedly involved with the Shining Path, including one child, and left five injured. Corruption within the government further developed under Fujimori, as he used the secret police to infiltrate opposing political parties, bribed legislators and electoral officials, censored the media, embezzled and redirected government funds, as well as carrying out human rights abuses, such as illegal arrests and torture.
Mandate In December 2000, interim President Valentín Paniagua approved the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission, which was ratified by President-elect Alejandro Toledo in 2001. The commission was created to investigate a wide variety of human rights abuses, including assassinations, torture, disappearances, displacement, employment of terrorist methods and other violations executed by the state and rebel groups between May 1980 and November 2000. The mandate was to analyze the causes of violence that had occurred, determine the scale of victimization, assess responsibility, and propose reparations and recommendations. The degree of the mandate comprised an open list of acts of crime, allowing the commission to include all crimes deemed relevant. The primary purpose of the commission was to establish the truth about crimes and events, providing a historical explanation by determining individual and group culpability for crimes and abuses. Despite the main purpose of exposing the truth, it was important to restore personal dignity, as victims became stigmatized by the public or local communities who assumed they were associated with rebel groups. The TRC organized its work into specialized units to conduct research in specific areas.
Objectives The TRC described 5 main objectives:
Analyze the political, social and cultural conditions and behaviors that contributed to the violent conflicts in both State and societal context. Contribute to the administration of justice, and to clarify the crimes and violations to human rights committed by both terrorist organizations and the State. Determine the situation and identification of the victim, as well corresponding responsibilities when possible. Make moral and material proposals for victims or their relatives. Recommend necessary reforms for preventive measures to ensure no experiences are repeated.
Areas of work National process of political violence
The purpose of the area of study was to analyze political, social and cultural conditions that contributed to the situation of violence in Peru, including societal and state institutions as contributing factors. Violence influenced social, economic and political conditions of society, therefore the unit was devoted to the impact of national violence. The analysis presented to the TRC focused on national level research and a historical interpretation of political violence.
Clarification of facts
To clarify historical events, research was conducted to reconstruct the explanations of crimes and human rights violations. The tasks of the unit was to investigate specific cases of local experiences. Testimonies of crimes and human rights violations were registered to provide in-depth studies of communities affected by the internal conflict.
Consequences, reparations and reconciliation
The unit's objective was to determine the effects of political violence in various areas of Peru and on the lives of people living in those areas, group identified victims of political violence and ensure that victims were dignified in the process. From the conclusions, the group developed proposals for mechanisms that ensure reparation, prevention and reconciliation.
Communications and education
The unit designed and constructed social communication programs, citizen participation and education. The group proposed several platforms, including mass and broadcast campaigns, seminars and forums, cultural and artistic activities, and volunteer programs.
Public hearings