Association
On 18th March, the US Labour Department concluded that the Peruvian legal framework is not adequate to protect freedom of association. The assessment was the consequence of a complaint introduced on 21st July 2015 by the International Labour Rights Forum, Peru Equity and seven organisations against the government´s failure to comply with the labor standards included in the trade agreement with the US. The complaint called for a repeal of Decree Law 22342, since it allows indefinite renewal of temporary contracts impacting on the wages of workers and their right to join unions. The Decree also violates International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 87 and 88 by not respecting the exercise of the right to freedom of association. According to a report by the US Labour Department, 'the percentage of unionisation in the areas of non-traditional exports is less than half the percentage of workers with indefinite contracts.'
Peaceful Assembly
In February, police violently repressed a march in Lima of about 1,500 students and members of the social movement 'Dignity Collective', who were trying to reach the parliament to protest against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Security forces fired tear gas and flares towards the protesters. The incident ended with several protestors injured and detained persons. The TPP was signed by 11 countries that together account for 40% of the world's GDP. This agreement seeks to liberalise trade in sectors as government procurement, the internet, culture, environment, intellectual property, investment, among others. Protestors argued that the TPP will have a negative impact on the environment, on a free and open internet and on the right to health.
Expression
In February 2016, journalist Alan Benavides suffered police repression while covering the mobilisation of students and workers in Lima against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). In July 2016, journalist José Torrejón Murayari was arrested in Yurimaguas, Alto Amazonas province, for resisting authority following a traffic violation. Observers fear that police abused their authority in this case, since it happened just a few days after the journalist criticised the violence used by a member of the National Peruvian Police while intervening in a brawl between students from two schools.