Peruvian guerillas take the initiative narrow demand, the freedom of 400 MRTA members held in Peruvian jails in return for the freedom of 73 hostages (from 500 initially captured). Commando leader Nestor Cerpa draws parallels between the fears and trauma of the families of the hostages and that of families of political prisoners languishing in Peruvian jails. The Embassy commando have certainly treated their hostages more humanely than the prison authorities do MRTA militants. Human rights
Peru's outrageous human rights abuses and the unbearable living conditions of the majority of Peruvians violate any imaginable human rights standards, and reflect the hypocrisy of western governments which normally turn a blind eye to the abuses of pro-capitalist regimes like Fujimori's.
An estimated 54% of the Peruvian population are Indian, and 34% are of mixed Spanish and Indian ancestry, Peru's governing elite are mostly white. This privileged segment of Peruvian society demands fierce repression of any who challenge their controlling status. As a result, widespread political dissent has been kept in check through institutionalised state terror.
In 1991 Alberto Fujimori was elected to the Presidency, defeating the novelist and candidate of the right, Mario Vargas Llosa. But far from following a social democratic programme, Fujimori embraced his rival's programme of economic liberalisation and privatisation and made Peruvians swallow the bitter medicine of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. In return, both organisations resumed loans and credit to Peru and encouraged foreign invest-
Fujimori has used his Japanese immigrant roots to portray himself as an outsider in politics and not beholden to the traditional political system and the rich white elite it has served so well. He has admonished the poor to work harder, be more self-reliant, save more and develop entrepreneurial skills and rely less on the state while making the free market their friend. Outside Peru he has used his ethnic roots to attract Japanese investments and as 'proof" that he has the cultural attributes and work ethic to transform the country into a Latin American tiger economy.
In 1992, Fujimori dissolved the congress and court system, and radically revised the Constitution. The near dictatorial powers assumed by the president following this "autogolpe" (self-coup) were limited only by acreased authority of his military supporters.
The government removed basic labour tandards, and introduced large scale redunancies by halving the public sector payroll.
It privatised most state owned assets, reduced tariffs for imports and removed foreign exchange restrictions.
"Fujishock" policies tested the claims of the neo-liberal right and were found wanting not only on social criteria but even on crude economic indicators. Eighty percent of Peru's workforce is jobless or under-employed, and millions have little or no access to medical care. Until the "Fujishock", half of Peru's 22 million people lived in poverty. The figure is now closer to 70%. The poverty factor was singled out by MRTA embassy commando leader Nestor Cerpa, this country's political life to fight a system that deprives the majority of Peruvians of their most vital needs. The situation has not changed at any time under Alberto Fujimori's administration. In fact it has worsened, with a dramatic rise in the number of poor in Peru."
The opening of the internal market to trans-nationals has driven many companies out of business. Peru's currency, the Sol, is trading at an artificially high level: good for importers of luxury goods but bad for exporters. Banks have pegged interest rates high attracting foreign capital but making it expensive for local capitalists to borrow for investment. The only alternative for Peruvian capital is to play second fiddle to foreign trans-nationals by entering into joint-venture schemes as junior partners.
The Peruvian economy grew in the early 1990s not because of Fujishock which, with its deflationary mechanisms, threatens a recession, but because it had become a desirable destination for portfolio investment capital drawn by the high interest rate and the fortunes to be made on the stock market through the purchase of grossly under-valued
Wealth is concentrated in few, mainly foreign hands. Fujimori, denounces the hostage taking by the MRTA, while holding the entire country hostage to the whims of finance capital: a notoriously nervous and fickle gunman.
The Fujimori administration rests on two pillars: the international financial institutions, and the military. The president's hand-picked loyalists in the armed forces hierarchy are intensely and personally loyal, with carte blanche to pursue their counter insurgency campaign, without fear of punishment for Rivers of blood
Amnesty International (AI) estimates that the Peruvian Government committed 53% of all extra-judicial assassinations between 1980 to 1992, and Shining Path committed 45%. Amnesty considers the MRTA responsible for only 1% of Peru's extra-judicial assassinations during this period.
An Amnesty International Report covering the period 19801995, documents thousands of "disappearances" extra-judicial executions and torture by members of the armed forces and the police. Even the United Nations Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) recently reported that "there exists a widespread practice of torture during the interrogation phase in terrorism related cases, and impunity is enjoyed by the
Peruvian human rights groups say that 700-1,000 innocent people have been charged and convicted since 1992. Declarations of sympathy with the guerrillas have resulted in prison sentences of up to 20 years. Lawyer Ronald Gamarra of the Lima-based Institute of Legal Defence estimates that one in three of those arrested for terrorism are innocent, including hundreds detained on false or coerced testimony.
According to Amnesty International, thousands of prisoners charged with terroristrelated offences have been "denied the fundamental right to a fair trial." Civilians have been "tried in military courts which are neither competent, impartial nor indepen-
" Military tribunals have a conviction rate of 97%. Since 1992, the international human rights group has adopted 86 prisoners of conscience who "have all been falsely accused of terrorism-related offences. Amnesty has also documented an additional 1,000 "possible prisoners of conscience."
The vast majority of human rights abuses "have never been effectively investigated," according to the Amnesty International
"The perpetrators have not been brought to justice, and the victims and their relatives have received no compensation."
In 1995 the government passed two amnesty laws which according to Amnesty International "effectively closed all unresolved cases of human rights violations committed by the military, the police and other authorities, between May 1990 and mid-June 1995... (and) rendered void the tew prison sentences handed down... to members of the Armed Forces and National The people are tired
The tactics of Sendero (which operated on the basis that if you are not for us, you are against us") backfired against them. They murdered many progressive activists, from feminist leaders to Trotskyist militants. They would not tolerate any opposition or debate as to their ideas and strategies. The capture of their leader Guzman in 1992 has weakened and split them but they have not gone away. Their struggle and the military campaign against them consumed the lives of 35,000
Revulsion at this waste, and growing
February 1997 #285 3
interview with Tupac Amaru representative