[JURIST] Peruvian President Alan Garcia [official website] has called on lawmakers to authorize the death penalty for terrorism offenses [press release, in Spanish]. In a speech to the Peruvian Congress [official website] Monday, Garcia urged lawmakers to "give the necessary tools to the judges and to the executive branch to definitely eliminate" the Shining Path [BBC backgrounder] rebel group. Shining Path rebels are believed to be responsible for a weekend attack in Peru's Ayacucho region [BBC report], where five police officers and three civilians – including a child – were killed.

The death penalty is currently only authorized in cases of wartime treason and there have been no executions since the 1970s. BBC News has more.