Peru’s police force does not have the full trust of the public. So, in order to improve the image of the police, Peru’s left-wing ruling party, the Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana – which is affiliated to Socialist International – has hit on the perfect publicity stunt. It is going to purge the police force of homosexuals who, according to the Interior Minister, Mercedes Cabanillas, are “damaging the image of the institution”.
The BBC reports that the new law states that “any police officer who has sexual relations with someone of the same gender will be indefinitely suspended from the police force. ”
Critics have called the law ‘unconstitutional’.
The British Ambassador to Peru, Catherine Nettleton, confirmed to campaigner Peter Tatchell that “a new Peruvian law intended to improve police discipline includes sanctions on members of the national police who ‘have sexual relations with members of the same sex, which cause scandal and discredit the image of the institution’. We are seeking the views of local human rights groups and the office of the Ombudsman and will be considering with our European Union colleagues what action to take.”
Now, Socialist International says in its statement following its 20th Congress held in 1996 – A Human Rights Agenda for the 21st Century:
Lesbians, gay men and bisexuals experience abuses of their human rights on a daily basis. They continue to be unequal to heterosexuals in law. Homophobia contributes to the violation of human rights and is a matter of criminal behaviour and should be dealt with accordingly in terms of legal action.
Lesbians, gay men and bisexuals do not currently enjoy the same freedoms and treatment before the law as heterosexuals. For example, discrimination at work on the grounds of sexuality is lawful in most countries (unlike discrimination on the grounds of gender and race) and same-sex relationships are not afforded the same legal recognition as opposite-sex relationships in most countries. The struggle against homophobia and sexual discrimination requires a broad strategy of action, ranging from legal and political measures to policies in the fields of teaching, education, culture and information. Lesbians, gay men and bisexuals are entitled to the same human rights as heterosexuals. Those rights must be enshrined in law through the enactment of legislation to ensure equal treatment, regardless of sexuality, in all areas of political, social and economic life.
Criminal behavior eh? We’re not even a decade in yet, chaps, and already a member is scapegoating gays and lesbians. So, will Peru’s governing party be expelled from the organisation?
