The Cantuta 19 years later

On July 18, 1992, a detachment of murderers, composed of Army intelligence officers, led by Santiago Martin Rivas and Protection of the dictatorship of Alberto Fujimori entered the Universidad Nacional de Educación Enrique Guzmán y Valle, La Cantuta (under military protection since May 1991), to kidnap, murder and disappearance of nine students and a teacher who were resting in campus housing.

Some of our relatives were missing until July 1993, when from the earth where they buried a third time, after burning, appeared to point to their murderers, refusing to be forgotten. Others remain missing to this day, even murderers and seek ways to escape justice but are unable to say where the hiding. The long history of coming and going of relatives to know the truth of the facts and the long-awaited justice has been difficult, full of misunderstandings, of stigmatization, abandonment by a state that, until now, decided to protect the murderers for not recognizing your own risk. We were able to stick together and spread our need for justice to other young people, other organizations who were able to beat assume arrogance, impunity, the death to uphold our right to justice.

On April 7, 2009, the Special Division of the Supreme Court headed by Dr. César San Martín Alberto Fujimori sentenced to 25 years prison for responsibility as a perpetrator in the commission of the crimes of murder and aggravated kidnapping, and constituting crimes against humanity, demonstrating the will to do justice to the victims of this violence goes for independence, respect and boldness of the judges to assume this responsibility. This statement should be regarded as a key document to settle accounts with the past and affirm the democratic space for truth and justice that Peru needed urgently. In early 2010, the Supreme Court upheld his sentence, thereby closing years of impunity.

Today, 19 years after this horrific crime, primarily responsible for Alberto Fujimori, for not only the privileges of a golden prison ordered built by his accomplice the APRA government, maintained the tax of all Peruvians, including family members, complete his days at home, enjoying his family, freedom without taking responsibility for the crimes for which he was sentenced and manipulating humanity we have always shown.

As Coordinator Impunity still stubborn in fighting any form of protection to the murderers, violators of human rights, our perseverance is also a contribution to building our democracy, different country with which we all dream of, with respect and equality and without impunity. We call on everyone to be part of this struggle, the country needs from our memory.

Coordinator Against Impunity - Peru