Peru HH.RR. Activists Welcome Female Sterilization Probe

Lima, Oct 28. -Peru Human Rights National Coordinator saluted the government decision to resume the investigations on the forced female sterilization policy under ex President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000).Along that lapse more than 200,000 poor women were cheated into or forced to sterilize, motivating the organizations' call to end impunity in line with the notice by Minister for Justice Francisco Eguiguren to the InterAmerican Human Rights Commission on Peru's intention to resume the probes.

Justice Eguiguren said such grave felony will be treated as a crime against humanity.

It was used as pretext to fight poverty, said Miguel Jugo, exec. secr. of the coordination, a state policy against the poor and realized by government executives rewarded with financial incentives.

Such mechanism of sterilization violated the fundamental rights of thousands of people, said the activist for, in addition to deciding on their bodies it promoted xenophobia and exclusion of women in rural areas namely.

"It is impossible trying to control poverty annihilating the poorest sectors," added the coordinator who numbers the victims from 1996 to 1997 in more than 200,000. So far, among the 1,000 documented cases, are 18 deaths.

Ex Health Minister Alejandro Aguinaga -an ex MP for ex President Fujimori that serves now 25 years in jail for corruption and crimes against humanity- is on the list of defendants. (Prensa Latina)