The Peruvian Congress approved last Thursday the removal of two members of the National Board of Justice (JNJ), Luz Inés Tello de Ñecco and Aldo Alejandro Vásquez Ríos, effectively barring them from public service for the next decade.
During the Thursday plenary session, the Congress debated and subsequently voted on a final report proposing the expulsion of several JNJ members due to claimed infractions of articles 156 (section 3) and 139 (section 3) of the Peruvian Constitution. Conversely, resolutions against Luz Inés Tello de Ñecco and Aldo Alejandro Vásquez Ríos were accepted, with measures targeting additional JNJ members, including Antonio Humberto de la Haza Barrantes, Imelda Julia Tumialán Pinto, Guillermo Santiago Thornberry Villarán, Henry José Ávila Herrera and María Amabilia Zavala Valladares, failing to gain sufficient support.
The JNJ supervises the appointment and removal of prosecutors and judges across Peru. A UN expert voiced concerns in November 2023 about attempts by the Peruvian Congress to oust JNJ members, suggesting such efforts may undermine the justice system’s independence.
Four human rights organizations – the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), the Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), Human Rights Watch and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) – jointly released a statement last Thursday condemning the Congress’s persistent attacks on the JNJ. They warned these actions could precipitate “democratic deterioration” in Peru.
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