Human rights court orders reparations for forced sterilisation case in Peru

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) has ordered Peru to pay reparations to the family of Celia Ramos, a mother of three whose death resulted from a campaign of forced sterilizations during the 1990s.

Thursday’s landmark ruling says Ramos, 34, was forced into sterilization against her will, causing an allergic reaction that led to her death.

The court ordered Peru to pay $340,000 to his family.

He noted that the Peruvian government had “failed in its obligation to open and conduct a thorough investigation” into Ramos’ case, increasing pressure on his family.

“Members of Ms. Ramos Durand’s family – particularly her three daughters, who were children at the time of the events – have suffered profound harm as a result of the sterilization and death of Celia Edith Ramos Durand and the impunity surrounding this matter,” the IACHR wrote in its decision.

Peru’s forced sterilization campaign took place under the late president Alberto Fujimori, whose tenure was marked by widespread human rights violations that continue to cast a shadow over the country.

The program largely targeted poor and indigenous women who were often tricked or coerced into undergoing sterilization procedures.

This week’s ruling is the first time the human rights court has ruled on the issue, which has been the subject of many years of legal challenge in Peru.

“After nearly 30 years of seeking justice, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has recognized the responsibility of the Peruvian state in the forced sterilization and death of Celia Ramos,” said the Peruvian feminist organization DEMUS in a social media post, celebrating the decision.

“This decision marks a fundamental step in reparations for Celia, her family and the thousands of victims of forced sterilizations in Peru. »

As many as 314,000 women and 24,000 men were sterilized against their will in Peru under Fujimori’s government, which sought to forcibly reduce the birth rate to combat poverty.

The procedures were particularly invasive for the women involved, and some suffered long-term complications or even death.

Family members often received little information about the circumstances that led to a loved one’s death after unnecessary operations. Some survivors didn’t realize what had happened to them until years later, when they discovered they couldn’t have children.

In Ramos’ case, the 34-year-old mother had gone to a public health clinic for medical assistance on July 3, 1997, but was forced to undergo a tubal ligation.

Ramos, however, suffered a severe allergic reaction during the procedure. She was placed in a recovery room, but the clinic was unable to treat her properly.

In its decision, the IACHR explained that the clinic “lacked the equipment and medications necessary for adequate risk assessment or to manage emergencies.”

Ramos was eventually transferred to an intensive care unit in the town of Piura, where she died 19 days later, on July 22, 1997.

The state has not conducted an autopsy and has refused to share details with his family.

The compensation provided in this week’s ruling includes reimbursement for the costs of medical procedures performed to save Ramos’ life and the estimated loss of income following his death.

In October 2024, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women ruled that Peru’s sterilization program amounted to sexual violence and discrimination against poor, rural and indigenous women.

The committee’s statement cites the lack of adequate medical facilities and lack of informed consent, just as the IACHR did in its decision this week.

“Victims described a consistent pattern of being coerced, pressured or deceived into undergoing sterilizations in clinics lacking proper infrastructure or trained staff,” said committee member Leticia Bonifaz.

“The procedures were carried out without the informed consent of these victims, some of whom, including those from remote areas, were unable to read and speak Spanish, or fully understand the nature of the procedure. »

Researchers concluded that Fujimori’s sterilization campaign was motivated, in part, by racist views among government officials who viewed rural and indigenous communities as an obstacle to economic modernization.

But Fujimori’s legacy remains bitterly contested in Peru.

Victims who spoke about their experiences said they were harassed and threatened by supporters of Fujimori, whose daughter Keiko remains an influential figure in national politics.

She is running for president in Peru’s upcoming general elections in April.

A former representative in Peru’s Congress, Keiko Fujimori served as first lady under her father from 1994 to 2000. She has long denied that he is guilty of human rights violations, reflecting a trend of Holocaust denial in the country.

In 2009, the elder Fujimori was convicted of human rights violations and sentenced to 25 years in prison, but in 2017, then-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski granted Fujimori a pardon that was later challenged in court.

He was finally released in December 2023 but dies a few months later, in 2024.

Since his death, defenders continued to push accountability from other senior officials in his administration.