Peru ruling opens old wounds

Victims of Colina Group express outrage over court ruling.

Peru’s Supreme Court recently reduced the prison sentences of the Colina Group paramilitary organisation and cleared them on charges of “crimes against humanity”. The ruling, announced on July 20, will allow seven of those involved in the so-called Colina death squads to apply for immediate parole. The ruling also sets the stage for a possible appeal by imprisoned former president Alberto Fujimori.

The Colina Group, created during the administration of Fujimori, is known for its human rights abuses and committing mass murders in the name of state security. The current government is appealing the court decision and family members of the victims from the Colina Group have expressed outrage.

In this episode of The Stream, we discuss the political implications of the Colina ruling with Coletta Youngers, senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America (@wola_org) and Francisco Soberon, Director at the Association for Human Rights.

What do you think? What does the Colina ruling mean for Peru? Send us your thoughts and comments on Facebook or Twitter using #AJStream.

View the story "Peru ruling opens old wounds" on StorifyPeru ruling opens old woundsVictims of Colina Group express outrage over court ruling.Storified by The Stream · Mon, Jul 30 2012 09:29:45In a controversial decision, the five-member Criminal Chamber of the Peruvian Supreme Court recently ruled to commute the sentences of 15 members of the so-called death squad, Colina Group.

In 1990, Colina Group was established in secret during the administration of former president Alberto Fujimori under the direction of his spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos (pictured below), to eradicate Maoist guerrilla organisations such as the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru.
http://antigonia.com/2012/07/23/grupo-colina/AJstreamThe court overturned the distinction of crimes against humanity, the charge that originally accompanied the convictions of the members of Colina Group, insisting that although the 25 murders they perpetrated were indeed atrocities, they were not "against humanity" because they were directed by the government against recognised terrorist organisations. Montesino had his sentence reduced from 25 years to 20 years. His army intelligence chief, Alberto Pinto (pictured below), was released from prison after the court ruled he was only following orders.
EL Comercio/ReferenceAJstreamBecause Fujimori (pictured below) was convicted as an "intellectual author" to the Colina Group's crimes against humanity, his lawyer, Cesar Nakazaki, believes this ruling could favour the former president in the form of prison benefits, or even a pardon. Attorney General Jose Pelaez, however, stated that Fujimori's conviction of aggravated murder impedes access to a pardon.
AP Photo/Roberto CandiaAJstreamMembers of the Colina Group were convicted for the murders of 25 people thought to be associated with Maoist guerrilla organisations. In 1991, they murdered 15 people, including an 8-year-old boy, in Lima's Barrios Altos district, and also abducted, tortured, and eventually killed nine students and one professor at La Cantuta University in 1992.

The video below commemorates the 20th anniversary of the deaths of those at La Cantuta University. La Cantuta 20 años ceremonianumerozerovideosIn Peru, those convicted of crimes against humanity are not eligible for parole. With that distinction being removed in this circumstance, those now simply convicted of murder in this case are able to seek parole after two-thirds of their sentence is completed.

Protestors gathered around the Palace of Justice in downtown Lima to express their outrage at the possibility that at least seven of the 15 Colina Group members may be eligible for parole in the near future.
REUTERS/Mariana BazoAJstream

Raida Condor, mother of a La Cantuta student who died in 1992 at the hands of Colina Group, expresses her frustration with the ruling in the video below: "Well, as a family, as victims, we're outraged with theColinas because they reduced the sentence of the assassins that killed ourchildren and we don't agree with the reduced sentence. And this reducedsentence, I suppose it's also going to apply to Fujimori. They have always saidthat Fujimori is innocent, that Fujimori didn't do anything and all that. Andwe're not going to let it happen. We're always out ahead, always. We haven't bowed down in 20 years and we're going to continue".

Familiares de víctimas de La Cantuta contra fallo a favor de grupo ColinanumerozerovideosAt the protest outside the Palace of Justice, a protester speaks of her young son who died in the Barrios Altos and criticises the President of the Supreme Court, Justice Javier Villa Stein, for what she claims is an unjust decision: "Mr. Villa Stein says that it's not a crimeagainst humanity. But what about my son? My son was 8-years-old. Theyassassinated him with seven bullets in his body and one in his face".Familia y población no olvida: Plantón contra sentencia de Javier Villa SteinlamulapeNadine Heredia, the wife of Peruvian President Ollante Humala, supported the protesters on Twitter, writing, "Crimes of the Colina Group and their mentors should not be ignored nor forgotten. This failed judgment stains the honour of our country".Crímenes del grupo colina y sus mentores no deben ser ignorados ni olvidados. Fallo judicial mancilla la honra de nuestro país!Nadine HerediaGisela Ortiz Perea, an activist who lost her brother during the La Cantuta incident, also voiced her outrage on Twitter: "They demand that we forget, to be reconciled when the state stabs us, rules against us, murderers benefit. Ensures impunity".Exigen que nos olvidemos, que nos reconciliemos cuando el Estado nos apuñala, falla en contra nuestra, beneficia asesinos. Asegura impunidadGisela Ortiz PereaRonald Gamarra, a lawyer who prosecuted Alberto Fujimori for his responsibility in the Colina Group murders, referred to Justice Villa Stein as a donkey in a tweet.
Villa Stein es un burro! "ataque" no es "conflicto armado", ni siquiera "ataque armado" (casos Kunarac, Vasiljević, Limaj, etc)Ronald GamarraOpposition to the judgment took the form of a popular hashtag #VerguenzaVillaStein (#ShameVillaStein). As one netizen writes, "Let's not forget that yesterday was a worthless day, when a case eliminated the crimes against humanity of bloodthirsty murderers (Colina) #ShameVillaStein".
No olvidemos que ayer fue un día indigno, cuando un sujeto eliminó la lesa humanidad a sanguinarios asesinos (Colina) #VerguenzaVillaSteinJulio de M.Supporters of the former President Fujumori, known as Fujimoristas, like Congressman Carlos Tubino supported Villa Stein's decision via Twitter and hoped for the release of Alberto Fujimori as a result of the judgment, "According to Supreme Court Judgment Colina crimes are NOT CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY so Fujimori’s 'intellectual author' sentence is UNFAIR ".De Acuerdo Sentencia Corte Suprema Grupo Colina delitos cometidos NO son LESA HUMANIDAD Entonces Condena AUTORIA MEDIATA FUJIMORI es INJUSTACarlos TubinoAnother Twitter user cited Congresswoman Martha Chavez's interview on local news and her belief that "the reduction in sentence is legally correct".
La rebaja de penas es jurídicamente correcto... Martha Chavez en RPPGastonMedinaWhen asked if the modified ruling against the Colina Group would influence Fujimori's sentence, Congressman Juan Jo Diaz responded, "If Colina group did not commit crimes against humanity, how come (Alberto Fujimori) gets 25 years as a perpetrator of crimes against humanity?"@martinhidalgo Si grupo Colina no cometió delitos de lesa humanidad, xq AF cumple 25 años como autor mediato de delitos de lesa humanidad?Juan Jo Díaz

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Peru ruling opens old wounds

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