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Political corruption, impunity and historical memory
Memory should not be kept in the past, it should illuminate the present for us to be able to generate and build the future. It is important to remember that it is impossible to build real and participative democracy on impunity. (Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Peace prize winner)
According to a report drawn up in 2004 by the NGO Transparency International (TI), Peru stood third in the world in terms of world political corruption. Alberto Fujimori was also mentioned as one of the ten most corrupt ex-heads of government of the last 20 years. The former president, who governed the country between 1990-2000, is currently being held to trial by the Peruvian justice system for human rights violations committed during his mandate.
The report defined “political corruption” as “abuse by political leaders of the power they have been entrusted with for their own benefit to obtain profit, in order to increase their power or their wealth." This is even more serious in a country of 28 million people where poverty affects 9 million.
In many Latin American countries, the democratic system is a recent process. However, despite having been accepted by the population, the legacy of corruption left by past military dictatorships has meant that this is not a real democracy. The weakening of the judicial system and a lack of willingness from authorities to collaborate with the justice system, has led to generalised corruption and impunity. In his book Democracia eficiente o sociedad decadente (Efficient democracy or decadent society), Pablo P. Antola reveals that “out of all the crimes committed in a South American country, only 2% of those involved are ever punished.”
Impunity is one of the greatest obstacles for human rights, as it generates and promotes a lack of respect for human dignity. Corruption of State organisms and within political institutions, in addition to illicit use of public money, means that societies are affected at all levels: economic, social, political and in families.
Citizen participation plays a fundamental role in building a democratic country. However, lack of punishment, investigation and justice often involving politicians and criminals has occasionally generated a feeling of resignation and passivity among most of the population. However, there are more and more associations and citizens’ movements emerging which are calling out to clarify the truth, recover memory and provide compensation for the victims, because we cannot build the future by forgetting the past.
Over the last few decades many leaders have got away Scot-free from crimes committed during their mandates. Although rules on human rights could initially only be applied to States, after the two World Wars the principle of individual international penal responsibility became more important.
On the other hand, States can also make use of the principle of Jurisdiction or Universal Justice to prosecute violations of human rights committed outside their territory. This is the case of General Augusto Pinochet, who led a coup d’etat in 1973 which finished off Salvador Allende’s Government. In 1998 a Spanish judge ordered provisional prison and an international arrest warrant against the former dictator, accused of the death of Spanish citizens in Chile.
Impunity therefore has devastating effects on society, as it weakens Rule of Law principles and slows down social and economic development, which is still one of the most serious problems faced by many countries.
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