APPEAL TO THE WORLD PUBLIC OPINION

DEFEND THE LIFE AND INTEGRITY OF PROGRESSIVE AND DEMOCRATIC LAWYERS IN PERU!

A new cowardly attack was perpetrated by Fujimori's political police (Dincote/SIN) against the progressive and democratic lawyers of Perú who provide legal representation to thousands of political prisoners of war before the hooded military judges. The first arbitrary arrests occurred on November 18-21, 1997, in which the myrmidons of the dictatorship kidnaped the following defense attorneys from their law offices and homes: Drs. Carlos Gamero Quispe, Ernesto Mesa Delgado, Luis Ramon Landauri, Freddy Huaraz Ramirez, and Teodoro Bendez'u Montes. From the concentration camp of Cantogrande (also known as Miguel Castro Castro jail) these courageous defenders of the people sent a taped statement to Dr. Delia Revoredo (the Dean of Lima's Bar Association -CAL) denouncing the illegal actions of the government, specifically the complete absence of due process and a Court Order for their arrests.

"I was unjustly arrested along with four colleagues. We were not provided with any indictment nor a hearing as provided by law. This is a blatant violation of the Constitution, which supposedly allows arrests because of a blatant violation of the law or under a Court order with a material cause or justification," stated Dr. Ramón Landaure in a message sent to CAL and the Inter-American Human Rights Commission.

"We are here for more than 45 days unjustly deprived of freedom. The regime tries to curtail the legitimate right we have to exercise our profession, and the right of political prisoners to have legal representation and due processes according to law and the Constitution. There cannot be democracy if CAL and the international organizations cannot defend the individual rights of Peruvian citizens." The lawyers also fear that in retaliation, the regime is trying to isolate them into pavilions where they may not only be denied having visits by their families and friends but be tortured and murdered. Two representatives of Lima's Bar Association (Drs. Heriberto Benitez and Andres Melly) visited the imprisoned attorneys.

A second wave of arrests occurred a few weeks later when defense attorneys Esteban Suarez Gonzales and Magno Marin Abanto were abruptly taken from their law offices to an interrogation center of Dincote, and it is likely that they were tortured. there. Dozens of additional lawyers are being sought by the intelligence services (SIN/SIE), the armed political police headed by the nefarious drug dealer assassin Vladimiro Montesinos. They were advised by CAL and colleagues to go immediately underground to save their lives and physical integrity. These brutal arrests are being carried out as part of a plan to completely abolish any residues of independence of the judiciary, and seek absolute control of it by the fascist regime led by Army General Hermoza Rios and the figurehead-puppet Fujimori. After the military coup in 1992 the regime dissolved Congress, and in 1996 it dissolved the Constitutional Tribunal. In 1987 the Public Minister (Ministerio P'ublico) was abolished, and in early 1998 the Council of the Magistracy (to appoint judges Consejo de la Magistratura) was wiped out. All these institutions have been now hijacked by the intelligence services to be used as tools of repression rather than to administer justice. In addition, recently Ms. Delia Revoredo, head of Lima's Bar Association, was threatened to be jailed by the regime and forced out of the country seeking political asylum at the Costa Rican Embassy. Since Dr. Revoredo is a known public figure in Perú, she was not accused of being a "terrorist" but simply a "smuggler." On the other hand, the fascist regime claims that the arrested defense attorneys were not motivated by their professional responsibilities, but rather by their political views in support of the People's War in Perú or membership in the Communist Party of Perú. Therefore, arresting them under the ridiculous charge of "treason to the fatherland" was legal

It is important to note that the "hooded Judge" ordering the arbitrary arrests of the attorneys has been identified as the Air Force Commander (FAP) Boluarte Pinto, a butcher who knows an iota on law, but is an expert in torture and death. He has a nefarious record in murdering peasants when he was previously in charge of a counterinsurgent base in Ayacucho. This is the truth about the "reform of the judicial system in Perú" paid by U.S. tax payers' money since the State Department and USAID have awarded millions of dollars for this purpose.

The repression against the democratic lawyers has a background. In 1992 Dr. Alfredo Crespo, president of the progressive and democratic lawyers (AAD) at the time, denounced the persecution of lawyers as part and parcel of the "new anti subversive strategy." This new strategy resulted from meetings between the lackey Fujimori and the owners of the communication media at the service of the system. He also denounced the sinister designs of imperialism and reaction who had plans for the "physical disappearance of the people's lawyers, pretending to link the AAD and its members to the Communist Party of Perú." Dr. Crespo emphasized that the reactionary goal, besides the persecution and jailing of the people's defenders, is to murder the democratic lawyers. The information media in the service of the big bourgeoisie in Perú act as accomplices of that criminal goal.

At the bottom, what is sought by the regime is to deprive political prisoners and prisoners of war of their right to legal defense, to facilitate conditions for a new genocide, similar to that of June 19, 1986 perpetrated by the regime of genocidal Garcia Perez and the armed forces (murder of 300 unarmed political prisoners in the concentration camp known as El Fronton.) Other genocides against political prisoners occurred in the Lurigancho prison in October 1991 (40 political prisoners were burned alive), and in the Cantogrande massacre killing 100 prisoners of war.

The yellow press in Perú even published signed press releases by a so-called "Law and Order Civil Association," a decoy used by death squad Grupo Colina run by the armed intelligence services (SIE/SIN). Grupo Colina paid and published a "wanted list" with the names of 220 attorneys representing political prisoners nationwide. That's the way the regime has been preparing psychologically the public for the subsequent arrest and assassination of political opponents. Many of the Attorneys mentioned on the "wanted list" by these publications were already murdered during the genocide in the prison of Cantogrande. Many were tortured to death or disappeared, and two prominent attorneys Dr. Alfredo Crespo and Dr. Carlos Cartagena remain in the jail of Yanamayo in Puno. They were sentenced by "hooded judges," without a shred of evidence, for "treason to the fatherland."

The fascist dictatorship continues its genocidal plan against the Peruvian people in a desperate attempt to stop the unstoppable and powerful advance of the People's War, blatantly violating its own laws, and soaking their bloody hands in the best sons and daughters of our people.

The members of the Association of Democratic Lawyers are those who for years, have taken up the defense of political prisoners, prisoners of war, and those accused of "terrorism," "apology for terrorism" and/or "treason to the fatherland," for which reason they have been victims of constant, systematic death threats, assaults in their law offices, assassination and disappearances. Their offices and homes have been raided repeatedly by the armed forces, police and their various death squads, and paramilitary groups with the consequential loss of legal documents, materials, records, etc. The democratic lawyers are also known and respected for not profiting from their services. On the contrary, they often receive small fees from the prisoners' families and relatives to cover filing fee expenses and papers. However, they don't receive one penny from the State. Drs. Crespo and Cartagena had the courage to take up the legal defense of Chairman Gonzalo after his arrest. They were later condemned to life in prison for the sole act of having exercised their professional duties and challenged the illegitimacy of the criminal hooded military tribunal.

According to Dr. Diego Obregon Palacios, a member of Lima's Bar Association, there is ample evidence of a systematic repression being carried out by the regime in accordance to a genocidal plan to deprive all political prisoners of a basic legal defense. He quoted the regime's paper "El Peruano" that there are 200 lawyers under investigation who have probable links to "terrorism." Thus, according to the fascist regime, legal representation of a political prisoner means support to the Communist Party of Perú.

This murderous plan is part of the so-called strategy of Low Intensity Warfare, designed and directly led by imperialism, principally Yankee imperialism. This is one aspect; another is that it clearly shows their desperation in the face of the unstoppable advance of the People's War which has developed and has crushed their black dreams of seeing a "defeated Sendero," or "splited Shining Path." The desperation of the regime is more evident now when its handful of capitulators and snitches (they were able to recruit and use) have been effectively crushed by the PCP. The recent TV mimicking of puppet Fujimori along with his Yankee master praising him to the skies (the U.S. drug Czar), then claiming to have capture "top leaders of the PCP," are part of that desperation trying to preempt the forthcoming RED MAY OFFENSIVE.

In summary, it shows their impotence in the face of the sharpening and polarization of the class struggle in Perú. Proof of this phenomenon is the continuation of mass protests in the streets, strikes, and land take overs, which are being facilitated and promoted by the People's War as it successfully implements its present plan, which is to "Overcome the Bend in the Road, and Develop the People's War!"

This craven attack against the progressive and democratic lawyers of Perú is also a direct attack against the political prisoners and prisoners of war and an attempt to deprive them of any type of defense and legal assistance, thereby seeking to totally isolate them. This is to say that this forms part of their specific plans to develop and commit a major massacre against the political prisoners and prisoners of war in a vain attempt to annihilate the People's War and the Communist Party of Perú. It is therefore, necessary to recall that all of the massacres against the political prisoners and prisoners of war that the old state has carried out to date have been preceded by similar measures!

Those who have dignity must reject and condemn those atrocities committed against the democratic lawyers in the strongest manner, and call upon the world public opinion to defend the life and integrity of the democratic lawyers. This must be done by protesting their governments' financial and military aid to the fascist regime in Perú, as well as by contacting Perú's Embassies abroad, and taking other actions as deem necessary.

Peru People's Movement (N.A.) and The New Flag.

April 1998.