UN Experts Condemn Peru's Removal of Judge Who Defended Judicial Independence at IACHR Hearing
Primary region South America
Tags Courts
Regions South America
UN human rights experts condemned Peru's removal of Judge Oswaldo Ordonez Alcantara, former President of the First Constitutional Chamber of Lima, calling it a reprisal for his November 2024 testimony before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The National Board of Justice declined to confirm him after questioning about his IACHR testimony. UN Special Rapporteurs stated this constitutes punishment for exercising rights to freedom of assembly and defending judicial independence.
Strategic interpretation
The case highlights the ongoing erosion of judicial independence in Peru, where the National Board of Justice's refusal to confirm judges based on their international human rights testimony sets a dangerous precedent across Latin America. The UN condemnation will add to Peru's broader institutional credibility challenges.