Peru Probing Death
Squads, Army
Families of victims of
the death squadrons that
operated in Peru during
the past decade called
on the armed forces to
define their position
and expel from their
ranks those who
participated in the
killing.
The representative of
the victims´s relatives,
Gisela Ortiz, demanded
that the army admit that
the criminal group
existed, that the crimes
committed be condemned
and that they
permanently expel from
their ranks those
officers accused of the
murders.
She expressed concern
over the fact that some
members of the army
support actions of the
murderous Grupo Colina.
The issue reappeared
during a new court
appearance in the trial
of former president,
Alberto Fujimori, after
a new declaration of the
former head of Grupo
Colina, retired major
Santiago Martin Rivas.
The witness denied the
existence and crimes of
the group after reading
documents allegedly
proving the
non-existence of
operations against armed
groups under the
Fujimori regime
(1990-2000).
The judges viewed a
video of an interview
granted to journalist
Umberto Jara in which
Martin Rivas confirms
the crimes committed by
Grupo Colina.
The former official
explains in the tape
that actions of the
Group made up of
intelligence agents was
part of the
counterinsurgency
strategy and attributed
direction under Fujimori
and his intelligence
advisor, Vladimiro
Montesinos.
The general attorney
called on the army to
assume the truth and
"exorcise" the ghost of
Grupo Colina without
falling into
contradictions since, in
2003 it admitted its
existence, Martin Rivas
now denies. |
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