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

Demand Investigation into Attack on Trans Woman

On January 28th, 2009, a television news report showed an incident in which neighborhood watch patrols in the city of Tarapoto, Peru, chased and caught a travesti (transvestite) and her companion and then physically humiliated and insulted them. Neighborhood watch members cut their victims' hair and forced them to strip before subjecting them to a series of military training exercises until they collapsed from exhaustion. Throughout the ordeal, a crowd of onlookers made fun of the victims.



The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) joins MHOL and RedLacTrans in requesting that you send emails asking Peruvian authorities to investigate this incident.

Please send your letters to:

Sr. Remigio Hernani Meloni
Ministro del Interior

Ministeriodel Interior Plaza 30 de Agosto s/n Urb. Corpac - San Isidro
ministro@mininter.gob.pe

Gral. PNP Luis Hugo Mezarina Ponte
Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos del Sector Interior

sp-cndh@mininter.gob.pe

General de Policía PNP Mauro Walter Remicio Maguiño
Director de la Policía Nacional

dgdinfo@pnp.gob.pe

Please also send a copy of your letter to:

Fernando D'Elio

fdelio@iglhrc.org

Jana Villayzan

transgeneridad@yahoo.com
RedLacTrans Peru

Jorge Chavez Reyes

chavez@mhol.org.pe
MHOL

Marcela Romero

marcelaromero_40@yahoo.com.ar
RedLacTrans – Directora Ejecutiva

Support the Repeal of Discriminatory Regulations in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Because of their moral ambiguity, misdemeanors codes and other similar regulations are often used by the police in many parts of Latin America to persecute, abuse and arrest people whose sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression deviates from social norms. Such discrimination occurs despite the fact that it constitutes a human rights violation and often contravenes the provisions of a country's constitution. In the city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Article 40, Section XIV of the misdemeanors code stipulates that immorality includes "public practices that indicate the development of an abnormal sexual life." This has enabled various types of police abuse, such as the arrests of gay men and lesbians for simple acts of affection, like holding each other’s hands. Thanks to the hard work of local organizations and individual activists, including some who have been victimized by the misdemeanors code themselves, there is now an initiative to repeal Article 40, Section XIV. Ramón Aguirre Joya, the President of the Regulations Commission in Puerto Vallata, has committed to raise the proposal to repeal Article 40, Section XIV before the full city council in February 2009. If this occurs, the council should discuss the proposal and vote to repeal the regulation.

IGLHRC requests that you send emails asking the President of the Regulations Commission in Puerto Vallata to raise a proposal to repeal Article 40, Section XIV of the misdemeanors code to the city council and fully support the regulation’s repeal.

Lic. Ramón Aguirre Joya
Presidente de la Comisión Edilicia de Reglamentos Municipales

ramon.aguirre@puertovallarta.gob.mx
L.C.P. Ricardo René Rodríguez Ramírez
Regidor e integrante Colegiado de la Comisión Edilicia de Reglamentos Municipales

rene.rodriguez@puertovallarta.gob.mx
C. Andrés González Palomera
Regidor e integrante Colegiado de la Comisión Edilicia de Reglamentos Municipales

andres.gonzalez@puertovallarta.gob.mx
Lic. Álvaro Cuauhtémoc Rolón Alcaráz
Regidor e integrante Colegiado de la Comisión Edilicia de Reglamentos Municipales

alvaro.rolon@puertovallarta.gob.mx

Please also send a copy to:

Fernando D'Elio
IGLHRC
fdelio@iglhrc.org

Víctor Espíndola
Anodis.com

vikspin@gmail.com