New Flag on Amnesty International

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

I thought that Luis's reply on Wed 14th had a large measure of credibility.

I had asked a specific question as to why Amnesty International
has particularly reported alleged atrocities by the PCP in
the Ashaninka region.

I will quote Luis's reply and then quote and comment on the AI
report on an alleged Ashaninka atrocity I posted on 31st January
along with all other AI reports on Peru for background reference.
.

<<<<<<<<
  Historically the PCP has done political work amongts the Ashinanka
  people, this base area is currently a bastion of the PCP, the Ashaninka
  youth has been incorporated massively in the People's Army, the regime
  has launched several offensives there without success. In the 60's
  and 70's the PCP was already competing politically with the US's Summer
  Institute of Linguistics and the Evangelical Church in the Ashaninka lands.
  The work of the PCP did not fall from the sky, it was done patiently and
  inteligently.  In the late 80's it become a military stronhold of the PCP,
   a People's Committee was established. The Catholic Church came in along
  the Army who bagan to set up the rondas [the paramilitary].
  Ther is when henyos crimes are committed by the Army, they burned
  completely the 5 main villages and executed several members of the Party.
  On top of that the regime accused the PCP of killing them (including
  to several authorities of the People's Committees), AI who was not there
  at all, folllowed suit. There is a coordinadora of HHRR in Lima, also
  deprived and its wings cut to verify the mass graves. But there is the
  people, only the people who know the true.>>>>>>>>>>>>>


/* Written 10:02 pm  Sep  3, 1993 by igc:hnaylor in gn:ai.general */
/* ---------- "PERU: "Shining Path" massacre" ---------- */
Amnesty International
International Secretariat
1 Easton Street
London WC1X 8DJ
United Kingdom

25 AUGUST 1993

PERU: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNS "SHINING PATH" MASSACRE OF
ASHANINKA

Amnesty International is deeply concerned about the massacre of at least 62
people, including women and children, by attackers identified as members of
the clandestine armed opposition group Partido Comunista del Per# (Sendero
Luminoso, PCP, Communist Party of Peru (Shining Path)), on 19 August 1993 in
the province of Satipo, Jun!n Department, Peru. The majority of the victims
came from 12 indigenous communities of the Ashaninka ethnic group.

      According to information received from a church commission that visited
the area and interviewed survivors of the massacre, members of the PCP carried
out the mass killings. Approximately 70 assailants, presenting themselves as
members of army controlled civil defence patrols, arrived in the 12 villages
in Satipo province in the early evening of Wednesday 18 August. The assailants
were armed with spears, machetes and axes. The aggressors killed women, men
and children in every community and left the area on the morning of Thursday
19 August. Many of the victims were said to have been severely mutilated
before being killed. A number were seriously wounded, including eight children
and one woman, who have been transferred to Lima. The rest of the wounded are
being treated in the vicinity. At least seven hundred people are estimated to
have fled the area and become internal refugees.

      This is not the first time that the PCP has carried out massacres among
the Ashaninka population in the province of Satipo. Deliberate and arbitrary
killings by the PCP were investigated by Amnesty International delegates
during recent visits to Peru, including several perpetrated in Ashaninka
villages in the districts of R!o Negro and San Mart!n de Pangoa, Satipo
province.

      On 17 May 1990, some 30 men, women and children who lived in a communal
indigenous family house in the Uni"n Alto Saniveri settlement were killed.
According to the recorded testimony of one of the community leaders, the
massacre was a reprisal for the community having refused to join the ranks of
the PCP.

      Amnesty International condemns the torture and killing of prisoners and
other deliberate and arbitrary killings carried out either by groups such as
the PCP or by the security forces. The organization therefore urges the PCP to
publicly repudiate the massacre and to halt further deliberate and arbitrary
killings and torture.

      Amnesty International also urges the Peruvian authorities to take all
necessary steps to ensure that the people in the area affected by this
atrocity are given adequate protection, and that an immediate, thorough and
impartial investigation into the massacre is carried out.

      Amnesty International has received reports on summary executions and
massacres since 1980; on several occasions entire communities have been wiped
out. These atrocities have been committed by the PCP as well as by government
military forces and military-run civil defence patrols.

      The PCP has declared that those communities that do not support them are
against them and are therefore subject to reprisals. On the other hand, if
these communities are seen to be collaborating - voluntarily or involuntarily
- with the PCP they may suffer retaliation from the security forces. In the
words of one peasant: "We are between a sword and the wall.  If the
authorities do not eliminate us, we are eliminated by Shining Path."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Comment by Chris B.

1. Luis's reply is consistent with the Ashaninka area being one with a history
of extensive PCP involvement, and an area for attack by government forces.


2. AI has accepted at face value a report by a visiting church group. This is
interesting in view of Luis's claim that the churches have been in contention
with the PCP for influence in the area.


3. The informants record that the main massacre was carried out by people
"presenting themselves as
members of army controlled civil defence patrols",
and it is not unreasonable from this form of wording that they were wearing
clothes normally associated with this group. (Unless we are to believe
a group of 70 assailaints arrived in the area dressed like ordinary people,
and announced they were members of the "civil defence patrols" and that was
sufficient for people to report that they were "presenting themselves as
members of army controlled civil defence patrols.")

Nevertheless AI appears to have accepted the statement that these 70
assailants were in fact members of the PCP. It is not clear from the
text on what evidence AI is convinced of this major assertion, which
in context seems surprisingly naive.

4. The reported deaths may be more factual. "At least 62 deaths" in 12
villages. That is an average of 5 deaths per village, perhaps some with
just one or two deaths, some with up to a dozen, one imagines.
This could be consistent with certain people being selected. Presumably
village leaders might be a particular target, but the report does not
give any comment on the possible political significance of the
victims.

5. The report does however say that women and children were among those
were killed. Why that would be in the political
interests of the PCP is not clear. It would however be consistent
with the comment in the report that at least 700 people fled the area.
Killing women and children could be expected to generate enough
terror to produce this effect.

6. Other basic details are lacking. Were the assailants drunk for example?
which might be relevant in interpreting action and motivation.


Conclusion
----------

>From my knowledge of the "Black on Black" violence stirred up by
the undercover activities of the apartheid regime in its final years,
and the detailed work done by many internal and external organisations
promoting peace, reconciliation and human rights in South Africa
during this time, (in which Amnesty International unfortunately did not
participate), I do not find the AI report quoted above
adequately credible for such a serious allegation.


Chris Burford
London.






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