Peru Court Convicts 4 for 1992 Massacre

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Peru Court Convicts 4 for 1992 Massacre
By MONTE HAYES – 7 hours ago

LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian court on Tuesday convicted a former general and three members of a military death squad of kidnapping and murder in a ruling that prosecutors say could set a precedent in the trial of former President Alberto Fujimori.

The four were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 to 35 years in connection with a 1992 massacre, but the three-judge panel absolved another member of the squad and three officers accused of providing support for it. The verdict made no reference to a ninth man charged.

The judges found the three former soldiers and an ex-general guilty of participating in the 1992 kidnapping and murder of nine students and a professor from La Cantuta University who were suspected of being rebel collaborators.

The killings became a landmark human rights case in Peru, where security forces fought a bloody war against Shining Path Rebels in the 1980s and early 1990s. The insurgency began to fade after Abimael Guzman and other key rebel commanders were captured in 1992.

In a separate courtroom, Fujimori is being tried for allegedly authorizing the death squad to fight the guerrillas.

Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g6Dn1N_FOCLT7iSA4snMFW4Skg5QD8VU2VBG0

[Judi Lynn]

1. Peruvian army general sentenced to 35 years for 1992 massacre

Peruvian army general sentenced to 35 years for 1992 massacre

Lima - A former military intelligence chief was sentenced to 35 years in prison Tuesday for the 1992 massacre of nine students and one professor in a public university in Lima. General Julio Salazar Monroe was convicted on charges of murder and forced disappearance of the victims from La Cantuta University, court officials said.

Three of Salazar's former subordinates in the Military Intelligence Service were sentenced to 15-year prison terms each, while two other former agents were acquitted in the case.

Former president Alberto Fujimori and other top military officers are also being prosecuted for ordering the July 18, 1992 killings.

Salazar Monroe was one of the country's key military figures during Fujimori's reign. The court heard evidence that he carried out orders from Vladimiro Montesinos, the head of Peru's national intelligence and Fujimori's right-hand man, who is serving prison terms for corruption and illegal arms' trafficking.

More:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/197668,peruvian-army-general-sentenced-to-35-years-for-1992-massacre.html

[bluesmail]

2. past due justice