Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz


After the European Parliament did not list the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) as a terrorist organization, Congressional representatives in Peru immediately convened and voted on a resolution to reaffirm that the MRTA was indeed an insurgent group.

All the members of congress present voted in favor of classifying the organization as a terrorist group; there were no votes against.

"With over 80 votes, congress has established that the MRTA is a terrorist group; this act is of huge importance and has great democratic value because all of the political parties have drawn a clear line in deciding that this group has committed crimes against humanity ," said Luis Gonzales Posada, the head of congress.

At the same meeting, members of congress passed a resolution in which legislators rejected the decision made by the European Parliament to omit the group from its list of terrorist organizations.

The motion serves two purposes, explained Posada, the first is to protest the decision made by the European Parliament and the second is to exhort the Parliament to evaluate the MRTA's behavior and consider them terrorists.

It was reported that Peru's congressional representatives would begin a campaign to inform Parliament members on the crimes committed by the MRTA.

The matter is to be discussed further during the upcoming EU-LAC summit.

The Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement is remembered by Peruvians for conducting bombings, kidnappings and assassinations throughout the 80s and 90s.

Among their list of crimes is the crisis at the Japanese Embassy in 1996, when they took hundreds of hostages and held them for several months.