Amnesty International on Peru

["Chris, London" <100423.2040@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This post is really addressed to Luis, who has just joined the l*st.

I have not had time this morning to read your mail, and I will give it
serious attention. One request and one question at this stage.

It is not just that some people may disagree with you, but the experience
of many people on this l*st is perhaps wrongly, very different from
what you are writing about.

You wished to join directly in a debate that
has already started. May I ask you also to take some time browsing
over say the last week's archives to get an idea of the rhythm and some
of the styles on this list.

It is in your interest, just as in the conditions of Peru, to have consideration
of to whom you are speaking. This is a very high volume l*st, and everyone
has to skim. Even if some people get in angry exchanges with you, the majority
of the over 300 subscribers will skim over your posts if they cannot engage with
them.

Use of capitals is unusual on this l*st and may be experienced as shouting, 
which
paradoxically makes people deaf. Please don't hesitate to express your feelings
strongly and firmly, including if you feel angry about something, but
it may be in your interest not to be perceived as shouting.

You cannot and
*will not* be censored. It is up to you to decide what style communicates most
effectively with the people whom you want to reach.


Now my question:

I have been trying to use some internet resources to gather background material
on Peru. One of these is the Amnesty International board.

I know from
experience in the Anti-Apartheid Movement that there were problems
because as a matter of principle or strategy AI is prejudiced against armed
struggle. Nevertheless the record of their statements over the last 5 years was
useful to me to get an idea of how appalling the government's record is on
violent repression, but also frankly why a major international campaigning
agency considers that there is substantial evidence of atrocities by both the
MRTA and Sendero Luminoso.

It was a fact that there was evidence of atrocities also by members of the ANC
of South Africa, and SWAPO of Namibia. In my opinion, in a bitter struggle
with a vicious enemy it is not possible to ensure that no combatant at any time
ever will commit an act of gross injustice which puts the whole movement in
a very bad light.

I would be grateful therefore if you would comment on your attitude to Amnesty
International, as I am considering posting the sequence of AI statements
on Peru to this list from June 1991, so l*st members can start to form
their opinion about the balance of one source of the evidence.

This is about 12 posts, and comes to 38K, about the size of one digest. Perhaps
acceptable in view of some of the contributions to the fascism seminar.

If any subscriber has any strong views please will they post me privately so
I get it directly. I may submit it via Spoons, so that a Spoons admin
can hopefully slip it into a complete digest, for those receiving digest
function.

Chris B,
London. (One of six powerless voluntary co-moderators, but obviously also
giving my personal opinions)




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