Peru: The treatment of Communist Party members by the government and military forces, in particular whether they were suspected of collaborating with the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) in 1995 and 1998
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PER31071.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Peru: The treatment of Communist Party members by the government and military forces, in particular whether they were suspected of collaborating with the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) in 1995 and 1998, 1 January 1999, PER31071.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab6b6b.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No reports of the treatment of Communist Party members in Peru or whether they have been suspected of collaborating with the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) in 1995 and 1998 could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, the editor of NACLA Report on the Americas, who is also writing her doctoral thesis on the Shining Path at Columbia University, stated the following on the Communist Party in an e-mail message sent to the Research Directorate:
Shining Path actually doesn't refer to itself as such but calls itself the Partido Comunista del Peru (PCP) (Peruvian Communist Party, PCP). There is another entity calling itself the Partido Comunista (PC) under the leadership of Jorge del Prado; this is an organization that followed the more traditional Moscow-line, while the PCP (Shining Path) is Maoist in orientation...There is no distinction at all between "PCP" and "Shining Path"--they are one and the same thing!...the PC is a small and not terribly important organization that was a member of the United Left--which Shining Path considers revisionist and has systematically attacked its members, including assassinating many union, party and shantytown leaders (20 Jan. 1999).
In another e-mail message, the editor adds the following:
In general, the armed forces have perceived ANYONE engaged in opposition politics as suspected subversives. This has included members of the legal left (including the PC) as well as trade unionists and community organizers. Such repression continues today, though at a somewhat lesser scale than at the height of the war against Sendero between 1984 and 1994. I do not know of any specific cases [involving] PC members (21 Jan. 1999).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
Editor, NACLA Report on the Americas, New York. 20 and 21 January 1999. Correspondence.
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International Report 1996. 1996.
Andean Newsletter [Lima]. 1995 and 1998.
Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos. April 1998. Informe sobre Tortura en Peru: 1995-1998. [Internet]
_____. 1995. Informe Anual de la Coordinadora. 1995. [Internet]
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1995. 1996.
Human Rights Watch World Report. 1996 and 1999.
NACLA Report on the Americas [New York]. 1995-1998.
Latin American Regional Reports: Andean Group Report [London]. 1995 and 1998.
News from Americas Watch. 1995-1998.
Electronic Sources: IRB Databases, REFWORLD, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet and WNC.