Commission for Truth and Reconciliation in Latin America such as Peru

Date: Wednesday, 23 September 2009

Lectures: 16:00 to 18:00 clock

Location: Amerlinghaus, Stiftgasse 8
1070 Vienna

Setting up and workingThe Truth Commission was established in June 2001 by the transitional government of President Valentin Paniagua established. The mandate was soon in the same year by President Alejandro Toledo confirmed and extended to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Unlike truth commissions in other Latin American countries, were specialists nichtperuanische to the Peruvian Commission is not directly involved. On 28 August 2003 the Commission handed over its nine volumes (about 6000 pages) comprehensive final report to Alejandro Toledo. Chairman of the Commission was Dr. Salomón Lerner Febres, rector and philosophy professor at the Catholic University of Peru. To disseminate the results, the Commission also with photos and graphics to send short text in booklet form from 60 pages and a brochure in Spanish and Quechua.

Result of investigation

After nearly two years of operation, the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission submitted its final report. Presumed to be a few months ago, yet no more than 30,000 victims, the Commission is now of almost 70,000 people killed during the armed conflict of the 80s and 90s from. Almost half of the victims came from the region of Ayacucho in the Andean highlands of Peru, where the conflict began. 79% of the victims lived in the country. Brunt was the indigenous population. 75% of the victims spoke Quechua or other indigenous languages. Nearly 60% of the Commission are covered murders of members of Sendero Luminonso or other terrorist organizations linksextremistischer been committed. The other deaths and disappearances go to the account of the military and police, hardly prepared for the fight against the inhuman violence of "senderistas" recordings. The Sendero Luminoso had in 1980 with the inclusion of the armed struggle against the Peruvian State, the wave of murder began. 
 
 The level of terror - the central findings of the Commission 
 According to estimates by the Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación (CVR) - the Truth and Reconciliation Commission - fell 1980 to 2000 a total of 69,280 people to the armed conflict victims. This figure is surprisingly high, so far as all the estimates of 20,000 to at most 30,000 dead box. The number of deaths is higher than the number of all victims of internal and external wars and conflicts that the country so far since its independence in 1821 had to complain. The rural population, especially under the terror of suffering. 79% of the Commission documented victims lived in the country, 40% in the Ayacucho region. Particularly affected were also the five regions of Junín, Huánuco, Huancavelica, Apurimac and San Martín. Altogether there were 85% of the dead and disappeared in the mentioned Andean regions of Peru, one of the poorest parts of the country. Looking at the ethnic composition of the victims so striking that 75% of registered deaths and disappearances of indigenous origin, ie were Quechua or another Indianeridiom said. The CVR comes to the conclusion that a direct link between poverty and social Excludes be one and the likelihood of victims of violence to the other existed. This hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that almost half of the documented victims only a primary education was presented.

Those responsible 
 unequivocally, the CVR clear that the Partido Comunista del Perú - Sendero Luminoso (SL), the main responsible for the deaths and disappearances of almost 70,000 people. With the inclusion of the armed struggle against the Peruvian state in 1980, the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) at the same time and the main culprit polluter. 54% of the victims, the Shining Path directly responsible. No other Latin American guerrillas, a comparable record of horrors. Bewusst took senderistas under the leadership of Abimael Guzmán in the death of thousands in the purchase. Sun announced, for example, SL 1988, that "the triumph of the Revolution, one million people would cost lives." The final report of the CVR was therefore associated with the valuation of terror on the part of the SL of "genocide" is spoken. 
 
 the Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru (MRTA), the armed struggle started in 1984 will be 1.5% of the documented victims charged . The members of the MRTA avoided by a clear identification of their clothes any confusion with the civilian population. Anders played the Sendero Luminoso: You used the innocent civilian population as a shield or hiding place and did so deliberately to the fact that the state security forces - police and military - had great difficulties, the terrorists to find. Thus, it is not uncommon to be confused and thousands of non-parties were the fight against terrorism to the victims. The investigation and evaluation of the police response to the incipient armed struggle, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has concluded that the security forces unprepared, with unskilled personnel and, above all, with no apparent strategy to fight terror recordings. Neither the government of President Fernando Belaunde (1980-1985) nor by President Alan García (1985-1990) reacted with a complementary social, political, economic or military approach to the threat posed by terrorists. Added to this was that the police are not highly skilled in the crisis regions sent, but the posting more often a form of transfer was punitive. Not least, therefore, did result in serious human rights violations by police forces. This increased from the time when the police command of the military was subordinate. 
 
 In December 1982, the military with the fight against terrorism link instructs. Over the 20 years studied, more than 1,000 security forces in combating the insurgency were killed or wounded so badly that they leave the service had to be eliminated. The CVR has come to the conclusion that, especially in the first phase, often indiscriminately against persons suspected of having been taken. Only in the second phase of the uprising against the military more differentiated, without however addressing the serious human rights violations stopped. The most serious criticism of the Commission of the military is that it not only had individual excesses. Rather, a systematic practice of human rights violations have been observed. Main culprit here are the Commandos político-Military (CPM) - consisting of police and soldiers formed special commands. Until 1985 were also the military - like the police - little or no organizational structure, strategy and profile of the perpetrators of terrorist groups Sendero Luminoso and MRTA informed. Only later were the interventions on the basis of security information. For this reason, the stakes were just before 1985 for the most part, counter-productive, since the security forces by their indiscriminate Extras confidence civilians lost. A differentiated strategy is only since 1989 to recognize, as soon led to the rural population lost confidence in the security forces gradually won again and began to organize themselves and defend. 
 
 These self-defense committees - comités de autodefensa - were mostly from the poorest Part of the rural population was founded. The members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission come to the conclusion that it is both spontaneous and self-ups in the ranks of the peasants were, as well as comités de autodefensa on the initiative of the security forces emerged. Large portions of very poor rural population - in Peru are still 54% of people classified as poor and nearly four million people live in extreme poverty - were not consistent with the ideology and with the methods of the Sendero Luminoso and agree, therefore, the organized resistance against the terrorists. You wore it to the first major strategic defeat for the senderistas, as these targets, their just struggle for the welfare of poor rural people to lead. 1993, it still 300,000 in self-defense committees organized peasants. Although the CVR the farmers do not have the right to self abspricht, it condemns it in its excesses on their part, exactly as the human rights of the other responsible to criminal prosecution should be. Positive that the vast majority of the members of the comités de autodefensa itself after the termination of armed conflicts back into their villages were integrated.

The Commission - Order, members, working methods, data basis 
 Unlike other truth commissions in the Latin American subcontinent, a waiver of the CVR on the direct participation of nichtperuanischen specialists. Interim president Valentín Paniagua appointed on 4 June 2001 seven people in the Comisión de la Verdad, the task has been made between May 1980 and December 2000 by terrorist groups and state-perpetrated crimes. The Paniaguas successor, Alejandro Toledo, said on 31 August 2001 the Commission for five additional members and also prompted the name change in Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación. The investigation should focus on murders, disappear, disappearances, torture and the violation of the rights of Andean and native communities are concentrated. Legal powers of the Commission was expressly denied. However, the CVR criminal education to prepare the crime, which resulted in that the Commission legitimizes saw perpetrators to name. 
 The biggest political mistake was in selecting the members of the CVR made. Both Paniagua and Toledo is not the unfounded "Linkslastigkeit" the accused Commissioners. In addition, a waiver on the part of historians and political scientists, and summoned a philosopher, two sociologists, two representatives of the churches, a retired general, an anthropologist, a lawyer, a "Sendero Luminoso, experts and representatives of several human rights organizations. Up to two members - a former Fujimori purified MP and Monseñor Antúnez de Mayolo (Salesian) - are all the left political spectrum assigned. This composition, the CVR from the start to attack and left parts of the Peruvian public in an objective ruling doubt. 
 your knowledge, the Commission draws mainly from the 15,497 interviews with stakeholders and members. The work of the CVR was different than the nine already operating the truth commissions in Latin America through a variety of public hearings conducted, usually on or near the crime took place. 21 Public hearings with a total of 9,500 participants were in the 22 months of existence of the Commission. The Commission's work included not only the recording of witness statements and their evaluation. Through exhibitions, education, psychosocial counseling and support and last but not least, by conducting exhumations followed with a decent burial at the same time, the public was informed and aware. Truth and reconciliation? 
 As a result of the sensitivity of the subject and the composition of the Commission was to be expected, the CVR from the beginning partly violently attacked. Above all, military and police as well as parts of the middle range of the Commission spoke an objective discernment from. One criticism was the selection of the single military members under the Commission, the Air Force General (retired) Luis Arias Grazziani. Because he too is a result of his leadership during the military dictatorship left Velasco (1968-1975) to the left political spectrum assigned. Fueled this debate, as the Commissioner Batanero Sofía Macher, a sociologist and chairman of the Human Rights Association, shortly before the publication of the final report stated publicly that the Sendero Luminoso "a political party with fundamentalist ideology is that the system wanted to destroy." Summarizes representative of all political parties went to the barricades, as it turns into a pot with murderers thrown saw.

Earned the approval of the Commission in assessing the role of the three governments, during the study period were the responsibility. Governments Belaunde and Garcia (1980-1990) is certified by a continuation of democratic and constitutional processes strive to have. However, both governments would not be too late, or adequate resources to combat the insurgency taken by an integrated strategy, to say nothing. Your response to the violence was a counter-violence has been indiscriminate. President Fujimori (1990-2000), who by most Peruvians as the Defeat of terrorism is being viewed and in 1990 in fair and free elections came to power, will, however, a perforation of the law accused. Fujimori's success in quelling terrorism, the Commission members and others justified in the Strategy, which senderistas from the coca drug cartels be insulated and their financial sources to minimize delays. Convicted on the other hand, the way in which the authoritarian ex-president with the help of ruthless previous special commands to achieve its objectives sought. 
 
 Without doubt, the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, great contribution to the truth of what happened and education acquired. The collected data and evaluated the material is immense. The search for the involvement of stakeholders unique. Thus, it has only a part of the complete name implied task accomplished. A commission of reconciliation, it is not become. This depends not only with the controversial political debate about its composition and to evaluate the events together. Still, there are groups of the Sendero Luminoso, the result of huge social disparities in the country - even if only occasionally - support.

Pause:

Panel Discussion: 19:00 to 22:00 clock

Is it possible that it would include a direct link between poverty, social and excludes the other, the more likely victims of violence to be there?

What is the conflict in the region of Ayacucho in the Andean highlands of Peru created?

What is the role of free trade in the crimes?

Speakers

Are under discussion