LatinNews Daily - 06 May 2011

Rafael Rey was Peru's defence minister under Alan Garcí­a (in 2009-2010) and minister for production (in 2006-2008). His term ended on 15 September 2010, amid a scandal caused by Legislative Decree 1097, an amnesty law benefitting soldiers accused and convicted of human rights violations during the internal armed conflict (1980-2000). He joined Keiko Fujimori's electoral plank as her vice-presidential candidate in the 2011 general election and won a seat in the Andean Parliament (Parladino) in the 10 April vote. In 1992 he founded Renovación Nacional and got a seat in the 1992 constituent assembly following Alberto Fujimori's 'autogolpe'. In 1995 he was re-elected to congress, broke with Fujimori and returned to the opposition, but continued to support Fujimori's economic policies and a controversial 1995 amnesty law, which gave amnesty to those responsible for human rights violations during the conflict period. This included the Colina Group, responsible for the massacres of Barrios Altos and La Cantuta. Alberto Fujimori's direction of the Colina Group resulted in his 25 year prison sentence, which was handed down in 2009. Rey is a life-long member of Opus Dei.