Statement from IDL : New APCI Law in Peru is unconstitutional and only aims to silence civil society

IDL, one of Peru's foremost human rights organisations, issued this statement on 12 March 2025 after the Peruvian Congress passed a new law regulating the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation (APCI).

The Instituto de Defensa Legal (IDL) condemns the approval of the new APCI Law, which, under the false argument of improving inspection procedures, now becomes a law that only aims to increase arbitrary sanctions against NGOs and prohibit victims of serious human rights violations from exercising their right of access to justice.

The approved regulation has smuggled in a provision that makes it a very serious offence for NGOs to take legal action against the state. In other words, defending or litigating cases of human rights violations of the victims of state crimes before national or international bodies becomes a prohibited and punishable activity. This constitutes a serious violation of the right to defence and to effective judicial protection.

Under the new regulatory framework, non-governmental organisations that defend the fundamental rights of human rights victims, indigenous peoples and peasant communities could be sanctioned with fines of up to 400 UIT, which is equivalent to almost 2 million soles.

The slogan behind this law is simple: harass and persecute NGOs and silence those who defend human rights. It is not about transparency or accountability, but a reprisal against those who, for decades, have litigated in defence of the victims of abuses of power, corruption and violations of fundamental rights.

The IDL warns the country that this law violates Article 139 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right of every person to access to justice, as well as multiple international human rights treaties signed by Peru.

Likewise, it adds to an increasingly worrying pattern of authoritarian measures promoted by sectors that seek to weaken democracy and the rule of law, against which, as a civil society organisation, we announce that we will not remain silent.

We will take all necessary legal action to reverse this serious threat against civil society and the right of peoples to defend themselves. We call on citizens, the international community and democratic institutions to unite in defence of fundamental rights and justice in Peru.

They will not silence us!