§ Mr. DonaldsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Peruvian Government in support of the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Commission and encourage the pardoning of innocent prisoners. [104399]
§ Mr. BattleWe have made a number of representations to the Peruvian authorities in support of the Ad Hoc Commission on Human Rights. This issue 321W was raised in November 1998 with the Peruvian Ambassador to London, when the Ad Hoc Commission's mandate was last up for renewal. More recently, FCO officials discussed this with the Deputy Ombudsman of Peru, Dr. Gino Costa, when he visited the UK in November 1999 on an FCO Sponsored Visit. Since March 1998, we have contributed £141,960 from the FCO's Human Rights Project Fund to assist the Ombudsman's office and the Ad Hoc Commission with their important work. This funding helped to ensure that the Ad Hoc Commission could discharge its responsibilities in an effective manner for the duration of its mandate, which expired on 31 December 1999.
Responsibility for the recommendation of Presidential pardons has been passed on to the National Human Rights Council at the Ministry of Justice. On 25 December 1999, President Fujimori granted pardons to 12 more people imprisoned for alleged terrorism offences. According to the Ombudsman, 48 of the Ad Hoc Commission's recommendations for pardon have yet to be approved. The British Embassy in Lima will continue to work closely with the Ombudsman and provide practical support for its work and research.