Protest from around the
world
The IEC and AWTW have
received a number of statements, letters, messages and so on from
a wide variety of forces that have come forward to protest the attacks
on Chairman Gonzalo and the PCP. We have excerpted some of these
to give an idea of how this campaign spread.
- AWTW 90 Members
of Parliament in Nepal
"We demand the
immediate release of Chairman Gonzalo!"
From Dr Bani
Sadr, former President of Iran
Letter to Fujimori
"The
act which I have observed in the media, of enclosing Mr Guzmán in
a cage and presenting this spectacle to the world, is an act which
goes beyond human behaviour.If you wish to end the violence, respect
Human Rights."
From 78 political
prisoners from Devrimici Sol, the TDKP/GKB, the TIKB and DR on hunger
strike in Buca prison, Turkey
Letter to the IEC
"Fifty-eight
people were seriously injured during an attack on our cells by police
and gendarmes on 14 September 1992. Because of this attack, 78 political
hostages have begun a hunger strike of unlimited duration. Our rights
as political hostages, which are guaranteed by international human
rights treaties, have been suspended by the prison authorities with
the full knowledge of the regime. In this way all our possibilities
to live are eliminated. The prison has been transformed into a dungeon
out of the Middle Ages...
...In the
world today, political hostages are being tortured and murdered
in the fascist and imperialist countries. This continues. Dr Guzmán,
who is the leader of the Communist Party of Peru, and was treated
in an inhuman way following his arrest is one example of this. The
fascist Fujimori dictatorship is doing everything in its power to
eliminate Dr Guzmán.
We, the
revolutionary hostages from Turkey whose signatures appear below,
protest against the fascist Fujimori dictatorship and wish the committee
that was formed to free Dr Guzmán success. Please send comrade Guzmán
our revolutionary greetings."
From 300 political
prisoners in Elazig prison, Turkey
Statement dictated to
their lawyer
They protest
the arrest and expulsion of the second international delegation
and condemn Amnesty International for not being concerned about
Abimael Guzmán, his lawyer and the condition of prisoners in Turkey.
They call on world public opinion to be vigilant on these issues,
to give full support to the IEC and call on all political prisoners
behind prison walls in Turkey to step forward in solidarity with
Abimael Guzmán.
From the Committee
to Support the Revolution in Peru, Mexico
Statement
"...[I]n
the face of these torturers and before the whole world, Chairman
Gonzalo took a firm stand. With his fist in the air, he gave a defiant
and very clear speech... and when the cops began to sing the national
anthem, Guzmán responded by singing 'Arise ye prisoners of starvation,
arise ye wretched of the earth'. According to a reporter for the
Mexican newspaper La Jornada who was present, 'Despite the uproar,
the Internationale rang out with full force.'
From Michael
Mansfield, defender of the Birmingham 6 and the Cardiff
3, Britain
Letter to Fujimori
"I
wish to strongly protest the detention and subsequent deportation
from Peru of the second delegation of six delegates who had arrived
to protest the case of Dr Abimael Guzmán. Such actions reveal the
true nature of your regime and its judicial process."
From Mumia Abu-Jamal
(political prisoner in U.S. prison facing execution)
Excerpted article
"...Since
1980, when the Maoist guerrilla, Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path)
launched its war against the state, the West, through its agents
and agencies in Peru, has been angling for the liquidation of the
largely Indian peasants' army, for fear its fire of anti-Western,
anti-capitalist revolution would spread to other South American
countries with majority or substantial Indian populations. Unlike
many other guerrilla (focos) that arose in South America since the
1960s, Sendero had its deepest roots in the Quechua-speaking peasantry....
...The recent arrest of Abimael Guzmán (nom de guerre, Presidente
Gonzalo), Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party
of Peru, occurred against this backdrop of dictatorial rule. His
'trial' was by a judge and prosecutor in hoods, while he stood in
a glass-covered cage, and where the only questions to the defendant
had to do with party ideology and Sendero structure.
So 'outré'
is Sendero, and so demonized its Chairman, that many of the West's
alleged human rights groups have been conspicuous by their silence.
Presumably, Guzmán is not a human, and thus has no rights...."
From a retired
Supreme Court Justice in India
Letter to Amnesty International
"The
facts [we are] hearing from Peru are very concerning. We are very
sorry to know that it is in the presence of AI where these atrocities
are committed. You must immediately intervene in the violation of
international law and justice by President Fujimori in the case
of [a] movement to reinstate the death penalty, 'slowly killing'
of Dr Abimael Guzmán by extreme conditions in the prison&."
From Students
Emergency Committee for the Defence of Guzmán's Life, South
Africa
Report to the IEC
..."Fujimori's
acts are not strange to us as South Africans... The South African
masses have waged the struggle against an oppressive and exploitative
regime and its horrendous acts and it is in this light that SRG,
AZASCO, WOSA (Student wing) and the Revolutionary Watchdogs have
decided to form a committee which is going to embark on a campaign
to save the life of Comrade Gonzalo.
We have
sent the press statement out and are about to call meetings of a
broad range of forces....
...There
was a meeting at the University of Durban-Westville on October 6th
and a demonstration outside the U.S. Consulate in Durban yesterday.
...In Capetown
a meeting was held on October 7th. People are faxing letters of
protest to Fujimori."
From Group of
Iranian Refugees in Finland
Letter to Fujimori
"We
are opposed to the illegal trial of leader Gonzalo and we are deeply
worried about his health. Leader Gonzalo is not only an ordinary
person but also he is considered as the leader of millions of labourers
and farmers around the world. We demand justice for his legal rights
and the security of his life. We support the 'International Emergency
Committee' for the protection of his life."
From the group,
For the Organizing of Internationalist Lesbian Women, Germany
Leaflet
"...They
are making preparations to force through changes in the Peruvian
Constitution, which outlaws the death penalty, in order to kill
Gonzalo. This would not be the first assassination of political
prisoners in Peru, a state which in 1986... murdered hundreds of
prisoners in El Fronton, and which killed 40 women and men in Canto
Grande this year....
...Women
are a strong component part of the PCP and occupy important posts
within it. Since the founding of the People's Guerrilla Army some
units were formed mostly by women and there are many women party
leaders and commanders....
...As internationalist
feminists we support the struggle of the Peruvian women for their
own liberation and for the Peruvian people as a whole....
...While
we maintain our own positions, let us take part in this international
campaign against the murder of Abimael Guzmán!"
From former
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
Letter to Fujimori
"...We
in Australia are watching very closely your government's actions
against Dr Guzmán, and we hold your government entirely responsible
if any harm comes to Dr Guzmán or his lawyer Alfredo Crespo.
Your threat
to pull out of the San José Convention and declaring Peru is going
to withdraw from the Inter-American court shows you and your government
have complete disregard for the interests of human rights and international
law. We condemn you for this and can only remind you that there
are many thousands of people in Australia who are repulsed by the
actions of your government regarding the inhumane and unjust treatment
of Dr Guzmán and the many other political prisoners...."
From the Puerto
Rican newspaper, La Patria Radical
Excerpted article
"...This arrest
was made possible in collaboration with the counterinsurgent machinery
maintained by the United States government in Peru....
...In the
liberated zones of Peru, the poor and humble have begun to savour
that which a free and sovereign people are capable of accomplishing
with a planned economy.
It is possible
that the Peruvian military government, whose terror was recently
displayed at the Canto Grande massacre where they killed dozens
of defenceless people, has the capacity to kill Presidente Gonzalo.
By this
means, we make a call to all those who love peace and human rights,
independently of your ideological positions, to defend the life
and human rights of Presidente Gonzalo.
We encourage
our readers to write and to call the Peruvian Embassy in Washington,
demanding that Presidente Gonzalo's human rights and dignity be
respected, including his right to maintain open communication with
his family and attorneys and to allow him to receive independent
medical exams and visits."
48 Poets from
Turkey
Poem
FASCISM CANNOT COVER
ITS BALDNESS WITH A WIG
We, the
poets who have signed below, censure the junta for imprisoning Abimael
Guzmán, the Chairman of the Communist Party of Peru. We would like
this declaration, which we have started as a wind, to be transformed
into a storm to overthrow the wig of fascism. (Wig in Turkish is
peru'k)
Alumni Association of
the School of Journalism and Communications of Marseilles, France
Letter to the IEC
"...As
a political opponent and revolutionary leader in captivity, Abimael
Guzmán, just like his comrades in combat, has the right to be tried
as such and to consult with his lawyers. He must not in any event
be executed, as the Peruvian Constitution forbids it.
You may
solemnly draw the Peruvian ambassador's attention to the fact that
[our organisation] will not abide the methods of brutal and murderous
repression that the Peruvian political opposition figures are being
subjected to. We remind you that a woman journalist has been coldly
assassinated by the forces of order on April 6th, 1992 along with
other members of the Communist Party of Peru....
...We are
fully aware of the vast campaign of manipulation of public opinion
destined to give free rein to the Peruvian government in its acts
of repression.
Please communicate
our fraternal greetings to imprisoned journalists."
From India
Warning, with signatures,
to Fujimori
"We,
thousands of people of India mark our protest against the arrest
of Abimael Guzmán (Gonzalo), Chairman of the Communist Party of
Peru. The Peruvian authorities are being warned against any danger
to the health and life of Abimael Guzmán (Gonzalo) on which all
the progressive forces of the world are very eager."
From International
Federation of Iranian Refugees and Immigrant Councils
Letter to the United
Nations Human Rights Commission (copies sent to Amnesty International
and other human rights groups)
"Although
I do not share, by any standards, the persuasions of Mr Guzmán...
the way that this incident has received media coverage and the support
given to the sham justice of the Peruvian government, makes anyone
concerned with the civilised standards of conduct and fairness speak
out.
...[There
is such] widespread destitution, poverty and privation that the
occurrence of cholera, rising unemployment, famine, child labour
and even the abominable trade of human organs have become common
phenomena in this country. Driven by such extreme and dire circumstances,
a section of the population has taken up arms to challenge the very
regime which sustains such sufferings on them. What is happening
in Peru is nothing short of a civil war with all its cruelty and
unpleasantness.Mr Guzmán is a recognized figure of this war. Just
as Mr Fujimori is his arch antagonist. One who criminalises this
whole sequence of events, and brands its captured leaders as criminals,
is trying to obscure the legitimate and genuine hostility of the
Peruvian people to the status quo. The whole matter is a political
one and should be treated as such.
...It is
on the basis of the above assertions that we ask your agency to
intercede in the trial of Mr Guzmán and his colleagues and avert
the consequent treatments they are most likely to receive.... Furthermore,
it is also high time that the practice of countries which prejudice
against the adherents of the popular movement in Peru be stopped...."
From 15 youth
in Germany (Edith Lagos Saenz* Group)
Letter to the Peruvian
regime
"...The
arrest and planned execution of the great leader of this movement
through the torturing, plundering, murdering dogs on-a-leash of
your regime fills us with sadness and fury.
Abimael
Guzmán is a man, who in his determination, has contributed to the
possibility that a life of freedom and humanity for the oppressed
and exploited lies within reach.
His murder
will not represent a crime against a few isolated people, but rather
a crime against the oppressed people of Peru and of the whole world.
Therefore we are demanding the immediate release of Chairman Gonzalo!...
...In the
end the inhuman imperialist system in Peru and in the whole world
will be swept away through the unyielding force of the oppressed!"
From the Chairman
of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
Letter to Fujimori
"I
have the honour to write to you on behalf of the Haldane Society
of Socialist Lawyers, which has 1,500 members, Barristers, Solicitors,
and Academics in the United Kingdom....
...It appears
to us that the arrangements presently being made for his trial by
a Military Tribunal pursuant to a Statute forced through by Presidential
powers, fall far short of international standards for fair trial....
...We have
just received reliable information that eminent lawyers from France
and Germany, who are in Peru in order to observe the trial of Dr
Guzmán, have themselves been threatened, by the Government Prosecutor,
with prosecution. If this information is correct, the Prosecutor
has committed a grave breach of the norms of international practice
in these matters. We insist that the international lawyers be permitted
to carry out their mission without interference and threats...."
From 64 autoworkers
at the Ford plant in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Message to Fujimori
"...These
acts are outrageous. They are the acts of a government that is very
scared of its own people and desperate to stop people around the
world from seeing your true terrorist and dictatorial nature. The
spotlight is on you and the people of the world will judge you for
these outrageous crimes....
...We also
say: DO NOT EXECUTE CHAIRMAN GONZALO, LEGALLY OR ANY OTHER WAY.
We know about 'attempted suicide', 'attempted escape' and 'natural
causes'. It'll still be murder."
Movement Against
Racism and for the Friendship between Peoples (MRAP) in France
Letter to the Peruvian
ambassador in Paris
"The
MRAP, which does not share the PCP's ideas, expresses its firm condemnation
of the exhibition of Abimael Guzmán in a cage: this is an affront
to the conscience of defenders of Human Rights.
We ask that
the leaders of the PCP receive a fair trial respecting Human Rights
and the Peruvian Constitution.
We protest
the charges against the international lawyers' delegation.
The best
way to end the civil war would be to introduce social and political
reforms that the people are demanding. It is necessary to follow
another path than that of strangulation of the national economy
according to the orders of the IMF."
From a statement
by a Peruvian in Europe, Member of the National College of Journalists:
"...We
should have no doubt as to the fate they have planned for this prisoner,
but, from our distant position as fighters for a NEW COUNTRY IN
A NEW WORLD, let us raise our voice to denounce to the civilized
world this masquerade of a SUMMARY TRIAL set up by those who are
both judge and judged, and let us demand respect for the prisoner's
life. This farce they have staged to try him must not end up in
the execution that is undoubtedly secretly being planned...."
Call by the
IEC for funds based on report from Cochin City, India
"A
meeting of a couple of dozen day labourers, who earn less than Ł1
per day, pledged to meet the One Day Wages' Call by the IEC. How
can people in Germany, the US or the UK do less?"
One-Day's Wage
appeal in Mexico
"You
people of the towns, from the masses, those of you who are resisting
imperialist domination... Now you can join together to prevent a
new crime of reaction... We understand the different economic situations
of the conscious people all over the world; that's why we are glad
to receive their support, even small contributions, from poor countries
as well as rich.... Gather to this great effort!"
From Iranian
Refugees in Turkey
"We
Iranian refugees in Turkey express our outrage and anger at the
criminal action of ruling government of Peru and its boss Fujimori
for murdering people and revolutionaries for a long time in Peru.
We resolutely join in defending the life of Chairman Gonzalo, and
appreciate the work of IEC...and wish you all success. We can only
send 50 German marks, as we are under a strained financial situation
ourselves."
From the Peru
Solidarity Committee/ Rossoperŕio in Italy
Statement
"...U.S.
imperialism, as the U.S. Ambassador in Lima, Anthony Quainton, has
himself declared, has given its full cooperation to Peru's repressive
apparatus, supplying agents and sophisticated equipment as part
of the imperialist intervention that has been intensifying in recent
months. They are extremely worried by the advance of the People's
War, which they consider a serious danger to their new world order
and a 'threat to Western civilization'...."
From Akin Birdal,
Human Rights Association President, Turkey
To Amnesty International
"As
the defenders of human rights in Turkey, we condemn with deep hatred
the fact that the Chairman of the Communist Party of Peru, Dr Abimael
Guzmán, has been given life in prison after being taken into custody
and put through an unfair treatment.
We could
not remain silent while the most fundamental rights and freedoms
of Dr Guzmán are being destroyed by the oppressive Fujimori regime.
Your organization cannot be expected to remain silent either.
We wish
that your organization would be the powerful voice of world democratic
public opinion and defenders of human rights...."
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