Summary

This report is submitted by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, who undertook a country visit to Peru, from 21 January to 3 February 2020. While noting positive developments, the Special Rapporteur concludes that a large number of human rights defenders are unable to operate in a safe and enabling environment. He identifies the following four main threats: lack of recognition of human rights defenders and stigmatization, criminalization of human rights defenders, failure to ensure the safety of human rights defenders, and failure to ensure the exercise by human rights defenders of their right of peaceful assembly. These trends particularly affect environmental and land rights defenders belonging to indigenous and peasant communities, women human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists, persons defending the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons and survivors of the period of violence (1980–2000).