Demonstrating a political commitment to the country, last Tuesday the 29th, the “Citizens’ Forum: Pro-Crime Laws? Dialogue between parliamentarians, experts and affected citizens” was held. Senator Mirtha Vasquez, deputies Catherine Palomino and Fernando García attended, as did specialists Ricardo Soberón, Cruz Silva, Erika Solis and Carlos Rivera. The Forum concluded with remarks by Delia Espinoza, dean of the Lima Bar Association (CAL), and questions from union leaders directly affected by contract killings and extortion.
“Those of us who are here have come because we want to assume a political commitment, a commitment to fight against this organized crime led by certain sectors; but this will not be exhausted by presenting bills, by repealing some regulations, rather we have to confront that political power; and I believe that the most important thing here will be to fight against that power” said Mirtha Vasquez, senator and former prime minister under former president Pedro Castillo.
Tough measures alone are no guarantee of any result
In turn, specialist in citizen security issues Ricardo Soberón debunked the current Executive’s discourse, which highlights “tough measures” as a state policy to restore citizen security: “the discourse of tough measures in Peru has at least 20 years of history. For example, since 2016 the issue of citizen security has been discussed in Congress with this discourse. The result we have had in this decade, of tough measures, already tells us something that we must take into consideration: Tough measures alone are no guarantee of any result. On the contrary, tough measures alone lead us to a problem as serious as the inhumane situation of our prison system, with 69 detention centers and 106.000 inmates, overcrowding of more than 120%”.
Meanwhile, Catherine Palomino, current president of the Justice Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, recalled that her office had already presented a bill for the repeal of the pro-crime laws: “today two draft opinions were going to be voted on, however we did not have all the deputies as required, since a brief matter concerning the powers was sent; the decision will be made at the next session of the Justice Commission. That would be the procedure still needed to address the bill. Only a vote to approve two draft opinions that we have already prepared”.
The event, which was a meeting between parliamentarians committed to addressing pro-crime laws, security experts and attending social leaders, addressed different approaches to finding a solution to deaths from contract killings or extortion: having a better prison system, understanding that the criminal system is a whole that goes beyond the police operation itself; understanding that the security issue is not only police-related, nor military; and that, in no case does a state of emergency guarantee results, among others.
