Since 1992 Amnesty International has documented over 900 cases of Peruvians who claim that they are innocent and have been unjustly accused of terrorism. 122 of this number have been adopted as prisoners of conscience, persons deprived of their freedom for political reasons, who have not used or advocated violence, and who have been charged with acts that falsely link them with the armed opposition. However, it is believed that this figure represents only a small fraction of the probable total of Peru’s prisoners of conscience. Amnesty International has repeatedly expressed concern at the effects of Peru’s anti-terrorism laws, on the grounds that these fall short of international fair trial standards and facilitate the imprisonment of prisoners of conscience. Included in this report is a list of the names of the 122 individuals adopted as prisoners of conscience.
