Peru: Blind Lawyer Strives to Be Judge · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón

Edwin Béjar Rojas is a 30 year-old lawyer, and resident of the city of Cusco, Perú. Since the age of 17, Mr. Béjar has been dealing with visual impairment, yet that has not been an obstacle for him to achieve important goals in his professional life.
He graduated first of his class from San Antonio Abad University Law School [es]. He has also successfully completed a Master's Degree in Civil and Procedural Civil Law, a Master's Degree in Criminal and Procedural Criminal Law, a Doctorate Degree in Law and Investigation, as well as additional specialized studies in Human Rights, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Municipal Law, Tax Law, Labor Law, and Procedural Constitutional Law. In addition, he has worked as college professor.
As the blog Discapacidad en Acción [es] points out:
Cabe indicar, que el Abog. Edwin Bejar Rojas, es un profesional conocido en la ciudad del Cusco, por ser ejemplo de superación y su trabajo a favor de las personas con discapacidad visual, como profesor y especialista en nuevas tecnologías para personas con discapacidad visual (proyecto REDSOCIAL); y por su constante apoyo a las Organizaciones de Personas con Discapacidad.
Last July, he attempted to run for a post as Deputy Provincial Prosecutor in Cusco, but the National Council of the Magistracy (CNM of its initials in Spanish) rejected his nomination because of his disability, as  reported by the blog of Law School Federated Center of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru [SP]:
El 12 de junio, postuló a la plaza de Fiscal Adjunto Provincial en la ciudad de Cusco, cumpliendo con los requisitos establecidos por ley e indicando su discapacidad. Inicialmente, fue declarado postulante apto para dar el examen escrito el 19 de julio. No obstante, por decisión del Pleno del CNM, fue excluido de la postulación por motivo de su discapacidad visual e impedido de rendir su examen, [aunque] hoy no existe impedimento [legal] para que personas con discapacidad sean magistrados.
In July 2009, the National Council for the Integration of People with Disabilities (CONADIS for its initials in Spanish), which is part of the Ministry of Women and Social Development, weighed in and asked for an explanation for the rejection of the candidacy of Mr. Béjar. The National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights (CNDDHH for its initials in Spanish), interceded [es] as amicus curiae before the Third Civil Court of Cusco, where Mr. Béjar filed a appeal for legal protection lawsuit.
Finally, on November 13th, 2009, a court in Cusco ruled [es] in favour of Mr Béjar ordering the CNM to give him the test with the “same degree of complexity” as any other applicant. In addition, the ruling also orders the CNM to guarantee the technical facilities that Mr. Béjar may require in order to take the test. The CNM has filed an appeal to the court's decision.