The Fourth Supraprovincial Criminal Prosecutor’s Office Specialized in Human Rights and Terrorism managed to confirm the sentence of 12 years of effective prison against the former Minister of the Interior, Daniel Belizario Urresti Elerafor his participation in the murder of journalist Hugo Bustíos, which occurred in 1988, in Huanta, Ayacucho.
The Public Ministry specified that the prosecutor in charge, Carlos Palomino Quispe, firmly opposed the attempt by Urresti’s defense to apply Law No. 32107, which prescribes crimes against humanity. According to the prosecution, this rule is incompatible with the Constitution and undermines the State’s duty to protect human rights.
During the hearing, the prosecutor also invoked the figure of diffuse control, provided for in Article 138 of the Constitution, to request that the magistrates disapply Law 32107, considering it contrary to Peru’s international commitments on human rights.
The judicial chamber also assessed international legal doctrine, including the jurisprudence of emblematic cases such as La Cantuta, which reinforces the principle that crimes against humanity do not prescribe and must be independently investigated and punished.
The events that led to the conviction occurred on November 24, 1988, when Urresti, then an Army officer nicknamed “Captain Arturo,” participated along with other soldiers in an attack that left journalist Eduardo Rojas injured and resulted in the murder of Hugo Bustíos, after placing an explosive on his body.
The Public Ministry highlighted that the ratification of the sentence not only reaffirms its commitment to justice and truth, but also sends a clear message: the prescription of serious human rights violations cannot serve to exempt those who have committed them from criminal responsibility.
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