Perú: Action Alert-Protest Discriminatory New Law to Ban Gay Police

On May 12, 2009, the Peruvian Parliament adopted Law 29356, establishing a new disciplinary code for the Peruvian police. Article 34 of that code classifies offenses as minor, serious and very serious and assigns penalties accordingly. "Having sex with people of the same gender that cause scandal or undermine corporate image" is classified as a very serious offense with a penalty of discharge.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) joins Movimiento Homosexual de Lima (MHOL) and requests that you send emails to the Ombudsman and Public Defender of Peru noting that Article 34 of Law 29356 infringes fundamental human rights, and asking her to file an Action of Unconstitutionality with the Constitutional Court to challenge the so-called "offense" of same-sex relations and its associated penalty.

Please send your letter to:

Dra. Beatriz Merino Lucero
Defensora del Pueblo / Ombudsman
Jr. Ucayali N° 388, Lima 1.
E-mail: bmerino@defensoria.gob.pe

Please send a copy of your letter to:

Fernando D'Elio / IGLHRC
fdelio@iglhrc.org
Giovanny Romero Infante / MHOL
gromero@mhol.org.pe