International Emergency Committee to Defend the Life of Dr. Abimael Guzmán -- International Delegations to Peru
- First Delegation, September 1992
- Second Delegation, October 1992
- Third Delegation, November 1992
- Forth Delegation, April 1993
- Fifth Delegation, October 1993
- Sixth Delegation, July 1995
First: September 30 - October 8, 1992
In Lima, the first IEC delegation of international lawyers is refused entry to the secret trial of Dr. Guzmán, but their presence makes media headlines and informs the Peruvian people of the worldwide campaign. Dr. Guzmán's "trial" by a military tribunal of hooded generals is denounced worldwide. The government, which had made plans to execute Dr. Guzmán on October 15 (1992), is unable to carry them out in the spotlight of international public opinion. Supporters around the world pledge "one day's wages" to support the campaign.
Headlines in Lima newspapers- translations: TOP - "Foreign lawyers defend the terrorist Abimael Guzmán and insult the government of Peru" BOTTOM - "Lawyers and physician for (Saddam) Hussein came to rescue Abimael!" |
Statement of the Ad Hoc Legal Observation Delegation:
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"Members of our delegation have attempted to observe the trial of Dr. Guzmán and have been
refused entrance. We have met with attorneys familiar with the case including Dr. Crespo, and have
presented a formal request to observe the trial to representatives of the Fujimori government and
military. We have examined international treaties, portions of the Peruvian Constitution, recent
decrees issued by the Fujimori government... Based upon our initial investigation, we have
concluded that the military tribunal and trial of the seven accused is being conducted in flagrant
violation of both Peruvian and international law....to
which Peru is bound and must be stopped at once. Any verdict or sentence in any resulting
proceeding should be considered null and void as a matter of international law…"
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Signed: Peter Erlinder (U.S.), Martin Heiming (Germany), Anne-Marie Parodi (France), Leonard
Weinglass (U.S.)
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"...[Dr. Guzmán's lawyer, Dr. Alfredo Crespo, was not able to see him before the trial because no
one would tell him where his client was being held. He was not able to prepare his defence, having
been told the date of the trial only on 30 September. On 1 October, the date the trial opened, Mr.
Crespo, accompanied by two members of the delegation of international lawyers who had come as
observers, showed up at 7 AM at the port of embarkment for San Lorenzo island, the navy fortress
where Abimael Guzmán is being held. The two observers were refused the right to even ask the
military judge for authorisation to be present at the trial. Only Mr. Crespo was taken on board the
motorboat and from the moment of his arrival on the island, he was taken in hand by two military
men whose faces were covered. They obliged him to put on opaque glasses and, one holding each
of his hands, they led him down a path which they said led to the fortress...."
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-Anne-Marie Parodi, French lawyer, 1st IEC Delegation
- Anne-Marie Blanchet-Parodi, lawyer for political prisoners from France
- Peter Erlinder, President-elect of the National Lawyers Guild, US
- Martin Heiming, lawyer for political prisoners from Germany
- Heriberto Ocasio, national spokesperson for the Committee to Support the Revolution in Peru
- Leonard Weinglass, lawyer for political prisoners from the US (currently lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal)
Second: October 27 - 29, 1992
Upon landing in Lima, the second delegation is arrested by the secret police, DINCOTE, detained for 30 hours, and expelled from Peru.
- Nina Baehr, author of Abortion Without Apology, U.S.
- Reiner Koch, lawyer who defends political prisoners from Germany
- William Maritn, Professor of Philosophy from the U.S.
- Professor Massimo de Santi, coordinator of the international forum called the People's United Nations, from Italy
- Maria Navarro, delegation translator, from the U.S.
- Giovanna Pagani, professor and president of the Italian section of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
- Ragip Zarakolu, journalist from Turkey, escaped arrest and was able to stay in Peru and to carry out his investigation for the IEC
Third: November 1992
The third delegation arrived in Peru and met with members of the Association of Democratic Lawyers. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Guzmán's lawyer, Dr. Crespo, was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for legally defending his client.
- Reggie Majors, US journalist and author of books on Black Liberation
- Mary B. Cox, US lawyer, journalist, and member of the National Conference of Black Lawyers
- Craig Everson, lawyer, Aborigine Legal Services, Ltd. from Australia
Fourth: April 1993
The forth delegation is welcomed by shantytown residents in Lima, who ask them to "go back to your countries and tell them what you have seen and what you have heard here."Statements were presented to the forth IEC delegation by the people living in Lima Shantytowns:
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"Welcome IEC Delegates to this shantytown. This is a very happy and important day, a revolutionary day.
"Our shantytowns are not helped in any way by the Peruvian government, no money, nothing. The people here, with our work and dedication, are building it. We are living here under the system of the 'communal kitchen.'
"The situation that Peru is going through is a very bad crisis, and it is growing - getting worse. We almost cannot suffer it. Confronting this, this situation, all of it, our people must go forward in the face of repression. We want your delegation, your very important delegation, to write -- you must tell the world what you have seen.
"This is a very extreme historical situation, with no jobs, or very low minimal pay. But the people are dedicated, have decided to fight against all the violence against the people. And in the face of this difficult situation we are going through, the people accept that -- the people will give their lives seeking a real change. Our desire is that the world revolution be successful as soon as possible.
"We hope that you will be able to come here in the future. We shall welcome you. Our struggling people are going through their historical fight in the interests of, for the future of, the children of the new generation, when exploitation of man by man will be ended.
"Maybe my words are poor, but we realize that with your very big revolutionary spirit you may have risked your lives to come.
"Muchas gracias!"
- Francesc Arnau, lawyer and member of Colegio de Abogados, Barcelona from Catalonia
- Pilar Noriega, human rights lawyer from Mexico
- Yuri Kochiyama, activist for human rights and political prisoners from the U.S.
- Phil Farnham, member of the IEC in New York, U.S.
- Michael Harrison, delegation translator, from the U.K.
Fifth: October 23-30, 1993
The international lawyers presented a formal petition demanding to see Dr. Guzmán, to Peru’s President Fujimori, to various government ministries, the Supreme Council and the Supreme Court of Military Justice. They set a deadline of October 29 for an answer from the government. On October 28 Erlinder and Heiming went to the Naval Base in Callao where the Fujimori regime is holding Dr. Abimael Guzmán. When the two lawyers demanded to see their client, the navel authorities contacted the Supreme Court of Military Justice and sent the lawyers there.Fujimori appeared on TV and actually spoke of Peter Erlinder by name. He added that no one was going to tell him when Dr. Guzmán can receive visitors and that only he (Fujimori) will make that decision. Later that night a Lima prosecutor threatened to expel the delegation. However, the delegation stayed and met with Peruvian lawyers from the Association of Democratic Lawyers (ADL). On October 29 a press conference was held in the street to report their findings -- the room initially reserved was "canceled" at the last minute. Peter Erlinder made a very strong statement concerning the case against the Fujimori regime at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and he spoke of the determination of the legal team to fight on until the isolation is broken. Others spoke of the international efforts of thousands worldwide in support of the IEC. News of the delegation was carried on radio, television and in daily papers.
- Mario Bustamente -- journalist; trade union activist; syndicalist from Mexico
- Peter Erlinder, President of the National Lawyers Guild; professor, William Mitchell College of Law in the US
- Martin Heiming, lawyer for political prisoners in Germany
- Haluk Gerger -- founding member, Human Rights Organization of Turkey; member of the executive commitee of World Federation of UN Associations; professor, international relations; journalist from Turkey
- Carolyn Hadfield, member of the IEC-US Hawaii chapter
- Eduardo Umaña Mendoza -- lawyer; judge, Permanent Tribunal of the Peoples; member, Council of the World Organization Against Torture; professor, Universidad Externado of Colombia
- Maria Gomez Pava, translator from Colombia
Sixth: July 1995
While in Lima, the delegates were again covered widely in the news. They met with human rights activists, several religious organizations, International Red Cross officials, and renewed the IEC's long-standing demand to visit Dr. Guzmán. Two of the international lawyers walked right up to the gates of the prison in El Callao where Dr. Guzmán is held. Before the eyes of a large number of press, officials from the Fujimori regime once again turned them away, revealing the terrible fear they still have of ending the isolation.- Peter Erlinder, President of the National Lawyers Guild in the U.S.
- Dr. Juan Jose Landinez, lawyer for political prisoners from Bucaramanga, Colombia
- Lt. Gen. S. Papageorgiou, M.D., specialist in dermatology from Greece (quailified to examine Dr. Guzmán and speak on his medical condition), former Air Force Lieutenant General
- Carolyn Hadfield, IEC activist, Hawaii chapter
- Rev. Michael Yasutake, Director of the Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project, National Council of Churches, USA
- Maria Gomez Pava, translator from Colombia
