"No to impunity! We wont forget, we won't forgive!"

On Friday, the 20th, an instance of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Javier Villa Stein, hearing matters related to some of the accusations against the members of the Fujimori dictatorship's notorious Grupo Colina death squad issued its verdict.

The members of the death squad -formed from among serving Army personnel- operated out of the military head quarters in Lima, and was commanded directly by then president Alberto Fujimori through his aide and spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos.  The Grupo Colina members were later shown to be responsible, and convicted, in the torture, murder, and disappearance of journalist Pedro Yauri, union leader Pedro Huilca, nine students and a professor La Cantuta University, fifteen people -including an 8-year old child- in the neighborhood of Barrios Altos, and nine peasants in the locality of Santa in Ancash.

The Villa Stein decision found -in contradiction of an earlier Supreme Court verdict- that the crimes of the Grupo Colina did not constitute crimes against humanity (crimenes de lesa humanidad) because such "can only be perpetrated against civilians" and the death squad was formed "to kill terrorists" and terrorists "are not civilians".  In other words, what matters is not the crimes but the supposed intent.  Morover, if there is no crime against humanity then there can have been no conspiracy to commit crimes against humanity. 

The decision thereby reduced the convictions to ones for murder and opened the door to reductions on sentencing and, and even completions of sentences from time already served, and potentially could serve as a mechanism for the release from prison of Alberto Fujimori.

The decision has been roundly condemned -from the President's office on down- as the details and implications of it have become clear, and Villa Stein has come under suspicion due to a series of changes made in the composition of the bench in the course of the proceedings.

Human rights groups and the victims' families called for a show of indignation in front of the Palace of Justice for Monday evening, a call which was assisted by La Republica newspaper announcing the demonstration on its front page.

Spotted at the protest: CGTP, Integracion Estudiantil, delegation from La Cantuta University, Coordinadora Contra la Impunidad, human rights coalition, Estudio para la Defensa de los Derechos de la Mujer, Lima Homosexual Movement, Lesbianas Batukeras, victims' relatives, etc.

Murdered journalist Pedro Yauri's daughters

Mario Huaman, "washing the flag"

"Washing the flag"

Mario Huaman, of the CGTP, currently in Congress

Daniel F, musician, founder of seminal Lima punk band Leuzemia

Genaro Ledesma, founder of Frente Obrero Campesino Estudiantil y Popular (FOCEP), former member of Congress, and senator

July 12 Protest March in Lima: "Conga No Va!"

On July 12th, there was a march in Lima demanding:

• That the Ollanta Humala administration keep its electoral promises
• End of repression against the mass movement in Cajamarca and Cuzco's Espinar province against mining concessions
• No to the Conga mining project in Cajamarca

The popular movement in Cajamarca against the concession of mining permits to Yanacocha corp. for the Conga mining project, which would drain a number of lakes and dry up several streams, in addition to leaving the area with a legacy of toxic waste, called for a nationwide support mobilization on the 12th, so the the Conga issue was merged with the march already called by the General Confederation of Peruvian Workers (CGTP). (Marches also took place in Ica, in Arequipa, and -in defiance of a declared state of emergency- in Cajamarca)

The concentration point was at the Plaza Dos de Mayo -right in front of the CGTP headquarters- and the march was to end at the Plaza San Martin, a traditional spot for large political rallies.  In between it wound through downtown Lima, stretching 8-10 blocks across four lanes of road.

By the evening and the following day, the news media -largely pro-"development"- focused their coverage not on the march, the rally, or the demands, but on the graffitti painted on the pedestal of the monument to Gen. San Martin by a group of anarchist youth from the Union Socialista Libertaria.   There were the usual demands that left "distance" itself from, and "condemn", "radicals" and "violent" sectors. The occasion was also used to try to put lefty mayor Susana Villaran on the spot for allegedly not policing the event sufficiently.

The only exception to this bandwagon that I saw among the daily press was La Primera newspaper's coverage.

National Federation of Municipal Laborers

Land and Freedom movement

Peruvian Communist Party

Student Integration movement

San Marcos University students

Delegation from the University of Cajamarca.  They received an ovation from the other marchers.

Movement for Social Affirmation

Teachers' union

Socialist Workers Party

Llariku Collective

Patria Roja, Socialist Party, and Unidad Popular Mariareguista

Alfa and Omega Association of Revolutionary Christians

Hip-Hop Bloc

In addition to those shown above there were delegations from the Moviemiento de los Sin Techo (MST, Movement of those Without a Roof), Comite MalpicA, Confederacion de Comunidades Afectadas por la Mineria (CONACAMI, Confederation of Communities Affected by Mining) - Ancash region, Todas la Voces (All Voices), Accion Critica (Critical Action), Izquierda Universitaria PUCP (University Left of the Catholic University), students from Federico Villareal university, construction workers' unions, Topi-Top workers' union, mothers' committees, a group of self-described "radical lesbians", water company workers' union, electrical workers union, etc.