Event Summary
On 6 January 2026, the Public Prosecutor’s Office issued four resolutions disbanding special investigative teams handling cases related to corruption and human rights violations. Among them was Resolution No. 005-2026-MP-FN, published in El Peruano, which disbanded the Special Prosecutors’ Team for Cases with Victims During Social Protests (Eficavip), created in 2023. The cases investigated by Eficavip were related to the protests that took place at the beginning of Dina Boluarte’s administration between December 2022 and March 2023, a period during which more than 50 people were killed and thousands injured due to the excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies.
The disbanding eliminates the special team though it does not close the cases. At a press conference, Tomás Aladino Gálvez Villegas, the interim Attorney General stated that responsibility for the cases would lie with the specialised prosecutor’s offices to which they would be referred. However, the resolution specified that the caseload would be distributed randomly among the Supraprovincial Specialised Prosecutor’s Offices for Human Rights and Counterterrorism, which seem to contradict Gálvez’s statement. On 7 January, a journalist revealed documents confirming that the case files would be sent to offices in different regions and asserted the interim Attorney General had allegedly not told the truth. Convoca.pe identified at least 54 investigations into deaths during protests, serious injuries, attempted homicide, torture, and abuse of authority linked to arbitrary detentions that are now at risk of being delayed or stalled. Many of these investigations were at advanced stages, with expert reports completed, reconstructions carried out, pending proceedings, and procedural deadlines close to expiring.
This has created a concerns of impunity for human rights violations. The weakening of specialised accountability mechanisms undermines the ability of victims to seek justice and of civil society to systematically monitor cases and advocate for accountability. On 9 January, in commemoration of those killed in the Juliaca massacre, relatives of the victims held a march in Puno, where they also spoke out against the Attorney General and the disbanding of the Special Team. Citizens also protested in Lima in front of the Palace of Justice. On January 25, a “march of sacrifice” began and reached downtown Lima on 28 January.