Peruvian police declare communist guerrilla ‘Shining Path’ infiltrated protests
General Óscar Arriola, head of the National Directorate of Criminal Investigation (Dirincri) of the Peruvian National Police (PNP), mentioned on Friday that members of the terrorist group Shining Path, a communist guerrilla group, have infiltrated the anti-government demonstrations going down within the nation.
Arriola clarified that the police will not be claiming that every one the members of the protests are members of the group.
Still, he confused that he desires “the population, which has every right to protest peacefully, to know that by their side there is no longer any doubt that there are Shining Path members.”
The final stronghold of the Shining Path, allied to drug trafficking, survives within the Valley of the Rivers Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro (Vraem).
The police chief additionally reported the arrest of leaders of the Popular Defense Front of Ayacucho (Fredepa), arrested yesterday on this southern metropolis and who, in keeping with the safety forces, are linked to the subversive group.
Those arrested are the president of Fredepa, Rocío Leandro Melgar, the vice chairman, Stefany Alanya Chumbes, and the secretary of that group, Alejandro Manay Pillaca.
The Peruvian Public Ministry is investigating the violent acts that led to the sacking and burning of the workplaces of the prosecutor’s workplace, the judiciary, the bar affiliation, and different state companies on Dec. 15 and 16.
In confirming these arrests, the Interior Ministry mentioned Leandro Melgar was a part of “the terrorist organization Sendero Luminoso and was arrested and imprisoned for participating in attacks in the 1980s and 1990s.”
Arriola added that “Comrade Cusi,” as she is thought, is a former prisoner “convicted and confessed for the crime of terrorism” and was “the third member” of the Sendero in Ayacucho whereas accusing Alanya of being “the military command.”
“These people are members of the main Ayacucho regional committee of the Sendero,” he specified earlier than indicating that the PNP was in a position to “prove and verify” that they coordinated different actions within the protests within the Puno, Andahuaylas, and Cusco areas.
Peru is going through a wave of anti-government protests, primarily within the south of the nation, which has left 42 lifeless, 531 injured, and 329 arrested, in keeping with a press release launched Friday by the Public Ministry.
For its half, the Public Ombudsman indicated that 41 protesters died in clashes with legislation enforcement brokers, along with one police officer, including that seven different individuals misplaced their lives “due to accidents and occurrences related to the blocking” of roads, which brings the overall variety of deaths to 49.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, the closure of Congress, the anticipation of common elections in 2023, and the convening of a Constituent Assembly.
With info from EFE