(11/22/04) -

Peruvians Convinced That Guzm¡n Is Guilty

(CPOD) Nov. 22, 2004 – A large number of Peruvians believe Shining Path leader Abimael Guzm¡n should be imprisoned, according to a poll by Universidad de Lima. 92.1 per cent of respondents in Lima and Callao say Guzm¡n is guilty of terrorism.

(CPOD) Nov. 22, 2004 – A large number of Peruvians believe Shining Path leader Abimael Guzm¡n should be imprisoned, according to a poll by Universidad de Lima. 92.1 per cent of respondents in Lima and Callao say Guzm¡n is guilty of terrorism.

Guzm¡n’s armed group began its operations in 1980. A commission report blames Shining Path rebels for more than 35,000 deaths during their campaign to establish a Maoist-inspired state.

In 1992, Guzm¡n—formerly a Philosophy professor—was captured and later sentenced by a military court to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. In 2003, Peru’s Constitutional Court ordered a re-trial after deeming that the tribunal that originally sentenced Guzm¡n—established behind closed doors by former president Alberto Fujimori—was unconstitutional.

Earlier this month, one of Guzman’s re-trials began but quickly collapsed after two judges stepped down. Prosecutors have added numerous charges to the Shining Path leader’s file, claiming Guzm¡n masterminded a series of political assassinations and peasant massacres. When asked to assess a specific penalty for Guzm¡n, 63.7 per cent of respondents picked life imprisonment, while 30 per cent chose capital punishment.

The death penalty for “ordinary crimes” was abolished in Peru in 1979, but capital punishment can be applied under military law or to deal with crimes committed in “exceptional circumstances.”

Polling Data

Do you think Abimael Guzm¡n is guilty or not guilty of terrorism?

If you were the judge in Abimael Guzm¡n’s trial, which penalty would you choose?
(For those who answered “Guilty”)