Final Working Edit
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Truth and Reconciliation The Findings of Peru’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Peru Support Group www.perusupportgroup.org.uk Contents Preface 2 Salomon Lerner, President of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission The Peru Support Group (PSG) was set up Key findings of the TRC: Profile of the victims of violence 4 in 1983 as an independent organisation without any party or political affiliation. It The story of the Commission aims to support the people of Peru and Aims and objectives 8 9 particularly the poorest sectors. Members of the Commission Logistical and other difficulties 10 11 The PSG is committed to The story of political violence in Peru · Increasing public awareness of Peru in the UK Sendero and its origins 14 · Promoting solidarity with the people of Peru especially in the The political context 14 area of human rights The tradition of neglect 17 · Fostering links between grass roots groups in Peru and the UK The expansion of Sendero 18 The 'other' guerrilla, the MRTA 19 The main publication of the PSG is the bi-monthly 'Peru Update'. This Counter-insurgency 22 includes the latest information on political, social and economic events in The displaced 24 Peru, and also news of activities in the UK. The PSG produces extra Human rights organisations and their role 29 editions of the ‘Peru Update’ on issues of key concern such as Trade, the What remains of Sendero? 30 TRC and Mining, as well as special publications like this booklet and 'Wom- Children as victims of violence 31 en's Rights as Human Rights in Peru' 2002. The gender dimension 31 32 The Peru Support Group has resources available to help with educational The main recommendations of the TRC work on Peru, including two photographic exhibitions. The PSG also Reconciliation and justice 34 Institutional reforms 34 co-ordinates conferences, meetings and workshops on issues such as 35 human rights, debt forgiveness and democracy. For information about Reparations Development of forensic/anthropological plan for 37 membership see the inside back cover. exhumations 39 Follow-up 39 This publication was produced with the support of CAFOD, CIIR, Reactions to the TRC Commission report Christian Aid, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 40 Save the Children UK and Tearfund The official response Public reactions to the report 40 41 The Peru Support Group would like to thank John Crabtree for his help in The task that lies ahead preparing this publication 43 Chronology of violence 44 First published February 2004 Further information and useful websites This edition May 2006 47 Unless otherwise stated, photos and testimonies are used courtesy of Pro- ject Couselling Service Peru, and the photographer Nelly Plaza Truth and Reconciliation 1 Contents Preface 2 Salomon Lerner, President of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission The Peru Support Group (PSG) was set up Key findings of the TRC: Profile of the victims of violence 4 in 1983 as an independent organisation without any party or political affiliation. It The story of the Commission aims to support the people of Peru and Aims and objectives 8 9 particularly the poorest sectors. Members of the Commission Logistical and other difficulties 10 11 The PSG is committed to The story of political violence in Peru · Increasing public awareness of Peru in the UK Sendero and its origins 14 · Promoting solidarity with the people of Peru especially in the The political context 14 area of human rights The tradition of neglect 17 · Fostering links between grass roots groups in Peru and the UK The expansion of Sendero 18 The 'other' guerrilla, the MRTA 19 The main publication of the PSG is the bi-monthly 'Peru Update'. This Counter-insurgency 22 includes the latest information on political, social and economic events in The displaced 24 Peru, and also news of activities in the UK. The PSG produces extra Human rights organisations and their role 29 editions of the ‘Peru Update’ on issues of key concern such as Trade, the What remains of Sendero? 30 TRC and Mining, as well as special publications like this booklet and 'Wom- Children as victims of violence 31 en's Rights as Human Rights in Peru' 2002. The gender dimension 31 32 The Peru Support Group has resources available to help with educational The main recommendations of the TRC work on Peru, including two photographic exhibitions. The PSG also Reconciliation and justice 34 Institutional reforms 34 co-ordinates conferences, meetings and workshops on issues such as 35 human rights, debt forgiveness and democracy. For information about Reparations Development of forensic/anthropological plan for 37 membership see the inside back cover. exhumations 39 Follow-up 39 This publication was produced with the support of CAFOD, CIIR, Reactions to the TRC Commission report Christian Aid, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 40 Save the Children UK and Tearfund The official response Public reactions to the report 40 41 The Peru Support Group would like to thank John Crabtree for his help in The task that lies ahead preparing this publication 43 Chronology of violence 44 First published February 2004 Further information and useful websites This edition May 2006 47 Unless otherwise stated, photos and testimonies are used courtesy of Pro- ject Couselling Service Peru, and the photographer Nelly Plaza Truth and Reconciliation 1 Preface Formed in June 2001, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was mandat- compensation or reparation, as well as encouraging a process of reconcilia- ed to investigate the violence that took place in Peru between 1980 and 2000 tion throughout society that would constitute at once a point of arrival and of and make proposals to the government for ways to overcome this bitter chap- departure for Peru. ter in the life of our country. Its mission, therefore, was to discover the truth and to turn it into an element of justice in its widest sense, as this is the only Our work is complete. But the task of building justice and reconciliation has way to heal wounds and to promote social regeneration. only just begun. The tasks it undertook were complex and multiple; indeed, it could not have As Peruvians we now face the arduous task of building democracy both as a been otherwise since the reality it sought to clarify was itself system of government and as the key to an inclusive society in which all are complex and multiple. considered citizens. A particularly moving episode of the Commission's work was when an indigenous man, recounting his own personal tragedy, said that It is difficult to interpret the history of 20 years of violence from a single view- the only thing he hoped for was that one day he would be considered as a point in a country as heterogenous as Peru. Many different types of violence Peruvian and not as an alien in his own land. This is precisely the ethical emerged over these two decades and they cannot simply be reduced to being imperative that now faces us. defined as the clash of two subversive organisations (the PCP-Sendero Lumi- noso and the Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru) with the forces of At the same time, international cooperation is essential to complement our order of the Peruvian state. As well as these, there were many other actors own efforts at home. We trust that international solidarity will act upon and be who, directly or indirectly, played a role in the drama lived out by itself deepened by the Truth Commission's report. I believe that the report thousands of Peruvians. sets out a course from which different cooperation agencies or organisations can usefully develop a dialogue both with the authorities and civil society in In order to make a really significant contribution to improving Peruvian society, Peru, so that projects can be developed jointly which lead towards building a the Truth and Reconciliation Commission had to carry out a detailed examina- country that is more inclusive and more at peace with itself. tion of the last 20 years. But not only did it have to establish the truth with respect to the past, but also to focus on the present and the future, to promote This Peru Support Group publication forms part of the task of raising interna- both the recognition of those whose rights were trampled underfoot and, and tional solidarity, of building commitment, of transmitting a strong message to the due application of law in punishing those who violated human rights. all Peruvians (but especially to the victims) that they are not alone. For that, we are very grateful. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission thus understood that its task was not just to recount the facts of what had taken place, but also to interpret them Salomon Lerner Febres, in order to disclose their true significance for the history of our country. A Past-president of the TRC, moral lesson lies hidden in the mass of facts and in those that still have to be Lima, February 2004. revealed: a narrative that speaks of resentment and contempt, of confusion and ignorance, of arrogance and humiliation, a narrative of profound social exclusion. Without this narrative, the history of contemporary Peru - and per- haps that of Latin America - is incomplete. We were convinced that knowing the facts and their context is only part of something more fundamental. Restoring the health of Peruvian society also requires the victims to receive justice for their suffering through some sort of 2 Peru Support Group Truth and Reconciliation 3 Preface Formed in June 2001, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was mandat- compensation or reparation, as well as encouraging a process of reconcilia- ed to investigate the violence that took place in Peru between 1980 and 2000 tion throughout society that would constitute at once a point of arrival and of and make proposals to the government for ways to overcome this bitter chap- departure for Peru.