Peru Police Probe Recording of Talk of Killing President Keiko Fujimori
PERU · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The country Peru is an Andean nation of about 34 million people and one of the world’s largest copper producers. Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, has been its president since 28 July 2026.
- —The background Peru still carries the memory of 1980–2000, when the conflict with the Shining Path guerrillas left about 69,000 people dead, according to its Truth Commission. Talk of killing a leader is not taken lightly.
- —Why now On 1 October the Lima newspaper Perú21 published a recording from a virtual session of a meeting of southern regional activists held on 5 and 6 September.
- —What happened Emiliano Oré Rojas, who ran for the Senate in April for the small Cooperación Popular party, is heard asking whether “the people” would not congratulate them “if we eliminate Keiko Fujimori”.
- —Who is who Labour Minister Juan Sheput and lawmakers from Fujimori’s Fuerza Popular and the left-wing Juntos por el Perú asked police and prosecutors to act. The TV channel ATV reported that the National Police is investigating.
- —What it means for you Nothing changes for visitors or investors. Panamericana, reporting Senator Fernando Rospigliosi’s interview, noted that no conspiracy against the president has been confirmed.
- —Still open Whether prosecutors open a formal case, and whether words spoken in a closed online meeting amount to a crime under Peruvian law.
A recording of activists in southern Peru talking about killing President Keiko Fujimori has set off a political storm in Lima. Police are investigating, and lawmakers across the spectrum want the speakers identified.
The main voice belongs to Emiliano Oré Rojas, a left-wing activist who ran for the Senate in April. He is heard saying he would “happily” go to prison for 500 years after ridding Peru of “a disgrace”.
What the recording contains
Perú21 says the material comes from the “Encuentro de la Macrorregión Sur”. Activists from Arequipa, Cusco, Puno, Apurímac and Moquegua took part.
Some sessions were held in person in the city of Arequipa, others online.
According to the newspaper, one participant recorded a virtual session with cameras off and microphones open. Perú21 says it obtained that recording.
In it, Oré asks: “Do you think that if we eliminate Keiko Fujimori, the people will not congratulate us?” He adds that he would calmly and happily go to prison for 500 years for having cleansed Peru “of a disgrace”.
The TV channel Panamericana identified a woman in the recording as Sabina Chambi. She is heard saying: “If you have wanted to kill or want to shoot whoever it may be, once and for all.”
Panamericana’s programme Esta Noche said nine to eleven people took part in the meeting. It also said a forensic check had ruled out that the audio was created with artificial intelligence.
Who the speakers are
Oré, nicknamed “Pepe Chanka”, ran for the Senate in Apurímac, a poor Andean region, in the April 2026 general election. He ran for Cooperación Popular, the party of former presidential candidate Yonhy Lescano.
He was not elected. Peru restored a Senate this year, so April’s vote chose both a 60-seat Senate and a Chamber of Deputies.
ATV quoted Oré defending himself: “I have found some people who think like me. That does not mean we are terrorists, it means we are patriots.”
The organiser named by Perú21, Jesús Paredes Zegarra, did not answer the newspaper’s calls and WhatsApp messages.
How Lima reacted
Senator Fernando Rospigliosi is a former President of Congress. “Starting to plot the murder of the President of the Republic is no game,” he said.
Rospigliosi asked the police and the national intelligence service to find out who is behind the remarks.
Labour Minister Juan Sheput told Esta Noche: “That individual should already be in custody.” He said prosecutors should open a case on their own initiative, without waiting for a complaint.
Alejandro Aguinaga, a Fuerza Popular legislator, told the channel Willax: “These gentlemen want to take us to a reign of horror.” He asked the Public Ministry, Peru’s prosecution service, to investigate.
The concern is not limited to the president’s camp.
Senator Iber Maraví belongs to the left-wing Juntos por el Perú, the party Fujimori beat in the runoff. He said that if a crime is confirmed, those responsible must face justice.
Beto Ortiz, a Willax host, turned on the JNE, the national elections jury that vets candidates. “How is it that the National Elections Jury admits candidacies from people of this sort?” he asked.
Why it lands now
Fujimori won the presidency in a runoff on 7 June 2026, after three earlier defeats. She beat Roberto Sánchez of Juntos por el Perú by fewer than 50,000 votes.
Her father, who governed from 1990 to 2000, remains a dividing line in Peruvian politics. Her first weeks in office have been busy.
Congress is debating decree powers on security and the El Niño weather threat, as The Rio Times reported on 1 October.
On Sunday, 4 October, Peruvians also vote in regional and municipal elections. The JNE has separately asked the government to guarantee the safety of candidates, poll workers and voters.
What comes next
Pedro Yaranga, a terrorism analyst, told ATV there are “signs” the participants had contacts with radical groups. He added that this is still being established.
According to Panamericana, Yaranga also wrote on X that the material is in the hands of specialised police.
No published report by 2 October mentioned an arrest, a formal prosecutor’s case or charges. Panamericana’s report on Senator Rospigliosi’s interview noted that no conspiracy against the president has been confirmed.
This does not mean Peru faces a wave of political violence, and it is not evidence of an armed plan. It is a recording of people talking in an online meeting.
What it does show is how raw the divide around the Fujimori name remains. How quickly prosecutors act, and whether they treat the words as a threat or as speech, will be the next test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the president of Peru?
Keiko Fujimori has been President of Peru since 28 July 2026. She is the daughter of Alberto Fujimori, who governed Peru from 1990 to 2000, and leads the Fuerza Popular party.
Was there a real plan to kill Keiko Fujimori?
No plan has been confirmed. A recording published by Perú21 captures people in an online meeting talking about killing her, and police are investigating, but no arrest or charge had been reported by 2 October 2026.
Who is Emiliano Oré Rojas?
He is a left-wing activist from Apurímac, in southern Peru, who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in April 2026 for the Cooperación Popular party. He is the main voice heard in the recording.
Is Peru safe to visit right now?
Nothing in this case changes conditions for visitors. Peru holds regional and municipal elections on Sunday, 4 October, so travellers can expect a busy voting day.
Sources: Perú21, Radicales por Zoom, 1 October 2026, Panamericana, Esta Noche, 1 October 2026, Panamericana, Congress reactions, 1 October 2026, Panamericana, Juan Sheput interview, 1 October 2026, ATV, profile of Emiliano Oré Rojas, 1 October 2026, ATV, Fernando Rospigliosi, 1 October 2026, Willax, Alejandro Aguinaga, 1 October 2026, Willax, Beto Ortiz on the JNE, 1 October 2026, El Observador, runoff result, 29 June 2026, Gestión, JNE security request and election dates, 1 October 2026. Truth Commission figure: Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación, final report, 2003. All retrieved 2 October 2026. Background: The Rio Times on Fujimori’s first weeks in office.
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