Peruvian Prime Minister defends debate on death penalty for rape

The Prime Minister of Peru, Gustavo Adrianzén, stated this Wednesday (11) that he considers it “responsible” that the country’s president, Dina Boluarte, opened the debate on the death penalty for rapists of minors, believing that it would be It is necessary to analyze the application of this penalty for these crimes.

“Opening the debate is part of the growth of a democratic culture. The debate is open to academia, intellectuals, politicians and the media and we will see what comes of it. The president did nothing other than invite the debate,” Adrianzén told state broadcaster TV Perú about Boluarte’s statements on Tuesday.

Through a telephone call, as he is on an official trip, Adrianzén clarified that the president did not say that one path or another should be followed in the application of the death penalty, but made an invitation to all forces in society to debate the issue .

“What President Boluarte did seems to me to be the most responsible; invited all citizens to participate in the debate to decide what best suits the country”, he added.

The Peruvian Prime Minister also stated that it is intolerable that Peruvian girls “can be the object of barbarism by some maladjusted, antisocial and aberrant criminals”, which is why the debate must be opened to see “what is done with these people”.

In this sense, he maintained that “there are abominable situations that trigger reflection and make it essential”, but this does not mean that the government has prepared a constitutional reform project or that Peru will disconnect from the San José Pact, which prohibits the death penalty.

Boluarte called this Tuesday for the opening of the debate on the application of the death penalty to child rapists, after the recent murder of a 12-year-old teenager in Lima that shocked public opinion.

During an official event, the Peruvian president declared that “it is time to open the debate on the death penalty for child rapists”, considering that “subjects like these cannot be allowed to walk free on the streets”.

The death penalty has not been applicable in Peru since the 1979 Constitution came into force, which only allows it in cases of treason against the country, and after the country ratified the American Convention on Human Rights in 1978, which restricts this punishment.