RSF - Reporters sans frontières
RSF - Reporters sans frontières
03/04/2026 | Press release | Archived content
Fighting impunity in Peru: convicted murderer of journalist Hugo Bustios set free after alarming policy reversal
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expresses deep concern after a decision by Peru's Constitutional Court that led to the release of a retired military officer on 3 March who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the murder of journalist Hugo Bustíos. The sentence against him was annulled on the grounds of a new law affecting the statute of limitations for prosecuting this crime, and now the convicted offender plans to return to politics after serving just three years. This is a grave legal setback that threatens to let impunity reign in one of the country's most emblematic crimes against a journalist.
On 3 March 2026, former minister and retired military officer Daniel Urresti, who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the murder of journalist Hugo Bustíos, regained his freedom. Following his release, Urresti reappeared publicly and announced to the press his returnto politics. On 6 February 2026, the Constitutional Court annulled his sentence and ordered his release by applying Law 32107, enacted in August 2024, which limits the application of international human rights standards in Peru. Before and right after the law was adopted, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that this regulation contravenes international obligations and is a serious setback to Peruvian's fundamental rights.
On 24 November 1988, Hugo Bustíos, correspondent for the weekly magazine Caretas in Ayacucho, was murdered in the province of Huanta, one of the areas most affected by violence during the internal armed conflict between the Peruvian government and a Maoist terrorist group. The journalist was shot by soldiers while on his way to cover a crime perpetrated by the terrorist group; they later blew up his body with an explosive. After an initial trial was annulled in 2023, Daniel Urresti - who was an army intelligence agent in the region at the time of the crime - was found guilty of the murder in a second trial in April 2023 and received a 12-year prison sentence. In August 2024, the Supreme Court confirmed the sentence on appeal.
"Annulling a fair sentence that ensured justice for the murder of a journalist and releasing the convicted perpetrator sends a devastating message. It signals that you can kill a reporter with no consequences. Law 32107 directly contradicts international standards that oblige states to investigate, prosecute and punish serious human rights violations, regardless of the time that has passed. RSF calls on Peru's judiciary and Ministry of Justice to rectify this situation and prevent the murder of Hugo Bustíos from going unpunished. We also urge Congress and the Public Prosecutor's Office to review the current legal framework to ensure that statutes of limitations do not become a mechanism for closing cases involving serious human rights violations.a
Artur Romeu
Director, RSF Latin America
An appalling setback
Law 32107, enacted in 2024, establishes that crimes against humanity can only be considered as such if they took place after 2003 when the Rome Statute entered in Peru. The Constitutional Court adopted this reasoning and concluded that, since the murder of Hugo Bustíos occurred in 1988, it could not be classified as a crime against humanity as defined by the Rome Statute, and was instead to be treated under the country's criminal code - which has a statute of limitations on prosecuting crimes after 20 years. .
The Constitutional Court's decision is highly concerning because a specialised criminal court has not yet issued a ruling on the application of the statute of limitations in this case. The Constitutional Court's intervention has undermined due process and created legal uncertainty.
Published on04.03.2026
RSF - Reporters sans frontières published this content on March 04, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 06, 2026 at 17:15 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]