After near of fifteen months from that memorable day, 10th December 2007, in which started the mega-judgement against the ex-president Alberto Fujimori Fujimori, we face today the historical fact of the sentence pronounced last 7th April of the current year, in a frame of a clear judicial process, impartial and legally impeccable, the sentence without extenuating circumstances to 25 years of jail for crimes against humanity committed during his government.

This sentence, strictly clinged on to the legal cannons of national justice administration, and to what the International Law theory prescribes for these kind of violations to human rights, leave important educational lessons, not only for the Peruvian justice but for international jurisprudence as well.

The judgement and the sentence itself leaves a clear lesson that was firmly expressed by the Executive Secretary of the Peruvian National Human Rights Coordinator, Dr. Ronald Gamarra, who carrying out at the same time his roll as one of the attorneys on the civil side, said the following when culminating his statement in the judgement: "....that the country knows that who breaks the law deserves a punishment, without concerning if he is weak or powerful, governing or simple citizen".

From the justice point of view, the sentence, without doubt, leaves this lesson. However, from the ethic-political and pedagogic perspective point of view, which orients the activities of the IPEDEHP, in the Human Rights Education field, we believe that there is something more we could assume as learnings, beyond the mega-judgement.

Fujimori's Government, with the complicity of those in his environment, not only had pernicious effects for the reinforcement of the state of right and the democratic institutionality of the country, but also much more debilitated the values structure of our society, by the levels of corruption and impunity reached, as well as by the inmoral manipulation of the poverty of a wide population sectors, disrupting the conscience of their dignity and their condition of individuals with rights, being used to live of the welfare social programs he implemented, and that has turned them into his more fervent defenders. It says the saying that "there is no worse blind person than the one that does not want to see". Unfortunately, his followers only see the side of their own personal interests, concealing them under expressions as "he robbed but he made work", "saved us of the terrorism", and "those who were dead or missing were terrorists".

The Peruvians that are committed with the defence and promotion of the human rights, without distinction, and that value democracy, not only as an exercise of the political power but as a way of life, we totally endorse the sentence of the court who judged the ex-President Fujimori, as much by the good of justice in the country like because the exercise of the political power cannot be founded on lie, dishonesty, arrogance, corruption and impunity; finally in the abuse of the power. In front of this, we have the challenge to reconstruct the country promoting the reinforcement of the structure of values in the institutions, and the daily personal and social coexistence relationships. We know this task is in our hands and we will not turn around, because we do not want that facts like the ones occurred between 1990 and 2000 happen to be once more in our country.

Lima, 5th May 2009

Peruvian Institute of Education in Human Rights and Peace - IPEDEHP

Indigenous vindications in the Peruvian Amazonia

The sentence of Fujimori, without doubt, has been a step forward standing the reinforcement of the Human Rights in Peru. However, there are still important goals to reach in this way.

From the beginning of the month of April - and without caring the Estate of Emergency imposed from the 8th of March -, the indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazonia region have carried out several mobilizations in order to request to the Government the derogation of the Legislative Decrees that were approved, and which they consider damaging for the country and also for the integrity of the indigenous people.

According to the President of the Interethnic Association of the Peruvian Rainforest (Aidesep), Alberto Pizando, such legal mechanisms were approved by the Government without respecting the measures that establish the 169 Agreement of the OIT, in which article number 6 stipulates that "any activities or legislative measures that must be given for the territory or indigenous people, must be consulted to know of their representative organisations". In addition, it considers that "the questioned legislation promotes the handing over of the Amazonia and its natural resources to private investors, what goes against the national interests and the habitat of the native people".

From Peru Faith and Joy - local partner of Entreculturas and present in the zone - we inquire that "the media are not giving any cover to unemployment people although, apparently, there are protest measures since several days ago in different places of Loreto, San Martín and in the south rainforest..... Schools of Yamakaientsa and of Chiriaco (both Faith and Joy) have suspended their classes and have had to cancel some activities that were programmed in the communities of Imaza, we continue with others in the basin of Nieva, hoping that nothing will happen....".