Can Peru’s new leader restore security without deepening the human rights crisis?

On 28 July, Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru's president after narrowly defeating left-wing rival Roberto Sánchez in the 7 June runoff. It was the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori's fourth bid for the presidency.

Sandra Pellegrini, Latin America and the Caribbean Senior Analyst at ACLED, said: 

“Keiko Fujimori begins her presidency having promised to crack down on organized crime and restore stability after years of political turmoil. She inherits a country in which insecurity has become one of the defining political issues, driven by a fragmented criminal landscape involving local and transnational groups, growing extortion and contract killing, drug trafficking, and illegal gold mining. 

“Fujimori’s promise of a “mano dura” approach, which includes the building of a high security prison, further reliance on states of emergency, and a larger role of the military in security operations, responds to genuine demands for greater security. Since 2024, ACLED records more than 400 protests against extortion and insecurity, many led by the transport sector, reflecting growing public frustration with the state's inability to curb violent crime.

“But there is no guarantee that Fujimori’s hardline approach will lead to durable results. Emergency declarations in Lima and Callao under previous administrations put soldiers on the street but failed to halt extortion and targeted killings or to dismantle criminal networks. 

“The greater concern is how Fujimori’s tough-on-crime agenda will be implemented. She has hinted that she would give the military a leading role in public security operations. This carries additional risks in Peru’s weakened human rights environment. Between 2022 and 2023, protests against President Dina Boluarte were met with harsh state response, which led to the killing of over 50 demonstrators. And concerns over the conduct of security forces have persisted beyond protest policing: In 2025, ACLED records at least 15 incidents involving alleged abuse or disproportionate force by security forces during law enforcement operations. 

“This is particularly concerning in light of recent initiatives that have weakened Peru’s accountability framework. It includes a 2024 Amnesty Law, backed by Fujimori’s Popular Force party, which grants amnesty for members of the security forces implicated in human rights abuses during Peru’s internal conflict, and the more recent Law 32735, which transfers certain offenses involving military and police forces to a military instead of civil court, increasing the likelihood of impunity to persist in cases of state abuses.”