Peruvian court rejects statute of limitations in Soras case

The National Superior Criminal Court of Peru has ruled that Law No. 32107, which concerns statutes of limitations, will not be applied to the Soras case. This legal proceeding involves high-ranking members of the terrorist organization Shining Path (PCP-SL).

Using constitutional powers of conventional and diffuse control, the tribunal determined that the law is incompatible with the Peruvian Constitution and international human rights treaties. The ruling affects several defendants, including Elena Iparraguirre Revoredo, Óscar Ramírez Durand, Laura Zambrano Padilla, Osmán Morote Barrionuevo, and Margot Liendo Gil, as well as Víctor Quispe Palomino and Casiano Tomateo Espinoza.

The defense had sought to use the law to declare the crimes of terrorism and qualified homicide committed before July 1, 2002, as expired due to the passage of time. However, the judges—Daniel Cerna Salazar, Reli Callata Vega, and Helbert Llerena Lezama—stated that domestic laws cannot create barriers to impunity for crimes of extreme gravity. The decision cites Inter-American Court of Human Rights jurisprudence, specifically the Barrios Altos and La Cantuta cases.