Dr. Salomon Lerner Febres, former president of the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, reported that on September 5, 2009 his dogs were poisoned and killed. On September 23, 2009 anonymous calls were made to his home and to his office, warning that “What we did to your dogs, we will do to you.” Dr. Febres is the current president of the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights and was rector of the Catholic University of Peru. As president of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he has been the subject of threats and harassment before.
Peru is a signatory to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, which requires (in Article 17) that everyone has the right to the protection of the law against unlawful interference with his privacy, family or correspondence.
We urge the Peruvian authorities to investigate the threats to Dr. Febres, to punish the perpetrators, and to provide him with police protection as necessary.