Movadef Ends Attempt To Register As Political Party

The Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights, known as Movadef, has given up on its attempts to register as a political party in Peru, local media reported. Movadef is known to be the political arm of the Shining Path, an insurgency that terrorized Peru in the 1980s and 1990s as it sought to overthrow the state [...]

Movadef Appeals Election Board Resolution

The Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights, known as Movadef, has appealed a resolution that prevents the group from registering as a political party and participating in elections, daily El Comercio reported. The appeal was presented on Friday to the National Election Board, or JNE. “With the appeal presented, the JNE will program a public [...]

Ex-President Garcia Rejects Movadef As Party

Alan Garcia, Peru’s two-time president, came out hard Tuesday against allowing the Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights, known as Movadef, from registering as a political party. Movadef has close links with the Shining Path, the Maoist-inspired insurgency that launched a bloody battle against the state during the 1980s and 1990s. The conflict led to [...]

Legislators To Back Bill To Block Movadef Registration

Peruvian lawmakers from across the political spectrum said they will approve a bill that would prevent political movements with links to insurgents and other violent groups from becoming registered political parties and participating in local and national elections. Congressman Yehude Simon of the center-right Alianza por el Gran Cambio alliance said that he will ask the president of [...]

Amnesty International: Peru sends contradictory messages on human rights

Peru’s government has been sending contradictory messages on its human rights stance to the international community, according to Hugo Relva, a legal advisor to Amnesty International. On the one hand, Peru has shown positive steps by inaugurating the Memory Museum. The museum is to honor the 70,000 people who died during the 20 years of political [...]

Peruvian court starts trial against former soldiers for Accomarca massacre

A Peruvian court in Lima began the trial on Thursday against 29 former soldiers for their alleged role in the 1985 Accomarca massacre of 69 Indian peasants in Peru’s southern Andes.  Prosecutor Luis Landa is seeking a 25 year sentence for the accused, in addition to a fine of 14 million soles ($5.02 m), Radioprogramas reported.

Huanuco military base attack, one soldier killed

An attack on a military base in Peru’s coca growing Huanuco department has left one soldier dead, daily El Comercio reported. The attack occurred early Monday morning at the base located in Huanuco’s Leoncio Prado province. Authorities believe that drug traffickers are responsible for the assault in retaliation to the military’s discovery of a drug [...]

Peru police capture alleged high ranking Shining Path member

Peruvian police say they have captured Edgar Nicanor Mejia, allegedly a high ranking member of the Shining Path faction led by Florindo Eleuterio Flores Hala, also known as “Comrade Artemio,” state news agency Andina reported. Mejia, who is also known as “Comrade Izula,” was reportedly Artemio’s right hand man in the Proseguir, or “to continue,” [...]

Local authorities in Junin call for greater gov’t presence following military, Shining Path confrontation

Authorities in Junin region’s Jauja province have called on greater presence of Peru’s government following a confrontation between state security forces and suspected Shining Path guerrillas that left one army captain dead. The lieutenant governor of Rondayacu, the village where the shootout took place, would only speak to CNR news service on condition her name [...]

Defense Minister: New equipment will allow military to defeat drug traffickers in VRAE

Peru’s purchase of modern military equipment will allow the country’s Armed Forces to defeat drug traffickers in the isolated coca growing areas that cover the Apurímac and Ene river valley’s, known as the VRAE, Defense Minister Rafael Rey told state news agency Andina. Rey said that for a long time the armed forces had older [...]

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