CUSCO, Peru — Peru on May 17 elected a new ombudsman. The office of Peru’s ombudsman, or “Defensor del Pueblo,” was created in 1993.
The ombudsman’s website says this autonomous office’s role is to “defend and promote the individual and communal rights,” with an emphasis on the rights of vulnerable peoples.
Some of the powers of this office include presenting amicus curiae briefs and even bills to Peru’s Congress. Given the powers and responsibilities of this position, the ombudsman is of particular relevance to Peru’s queer community.
And on May 17 of this year, Congress by an 88-24 vote margin elected Josué Manuel Gutiérrez Cóndor, a lawyer and former congressman, to be Peru’s new ombudsman.