Twenty-two years after the massacre of six young men at a church service in the highlands of Peru, courts have issued an order for the arrest of two of the men thought to be responsible. Luis Alberto Celis Checa, the patrol-chief of the government counter-terrorist unit in Huanta, and Jesus Jacinto Vilca Huincho, who acted as an informant and guide for the Peruvian marines, are being charged with murder.

Approximately 15 members of a counter-terrorism unit based in Huanta in the 1980's carried out an attack on the Presbyterian Church in Callqui-Nisperocnyocc during an evening prayer service on August 1, 1984. Around 25 young people had gathered together for a prayer and praise service at the church, located less than one kilometre away from the municipal sports stadium, which was being used by the military as the location of a marine infantry base to combat the Shining Path terrorist organisation.

Constantino Ya'ez Huicho, age 24 and the head of the Christian Youth Union in Huanta, Jos' Ya'ez Huicho (Constantino's brother), Wenceslao Florencio Huamanyalli Or', the son of a church elder, Paulino Cayo Ccori'aupa, Melqu'ades Quispe Rojas, and Jorge de la Cruz Quispe, who was only twelve-years old at the time, were taken to the back of the church and made to stand in a line with their backs to the stream that ran at the bottom of the incline. They were sprayed with machine gun fire and then their bodies were repeatedly stabbed with bayonets. The sister of one of the victims told Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) of her impression that her brother's body resembled a sieve.

All of the young men killed were known to be active members of the church and it was widely accepted that they had no links with the Shining Path. While it was no secret that the government forces were responsible for the attack, a lack of political will has made it virtually impossible to bring charges against members of the military.

The human rights organisation, Peace and Hope, CSW's partner organisation in Peru, which has provided legal representation to family members of the victims, has welcomed the launch of the court case, but expressed concern that the judge did not pursue charges against three higher-ranking military officials who were also included in the denunciation.

According to a statement from their offices in Lima, "Society is hopeful and expectant, that, after so many years, the families of the victims will finally receive justice; those responsible will be punished with the full weight of the law; and the Peruvian State will fulfill its obligation to make reparations to the victims' families."

CSW representatives have met with members of the victims' families on multiple occasions. Tina Lambert, CSW's Advocacy Director, says "We are extremely pleased that the Peruvian courts are going forward with this case. It is a double tragedy that the families of these young men have had to wait so long for justice, following this horrific human rights atrocity. We will continue to monitor the case and call upon the Peruvian government to ensure that the truth is brought to light and appropriate reparations are made."


Notes to editors.

Peru was wracked by internal violence through the 1980's and 1990's as the government battled extreme leftist terrorist groups, the Shining Path and the MRTA. The Shining Path, a Maoist guerrilla group, had a particularly strong presence in the Huanta-Ayacucho region of the Peruvian Andes and was responsible for human rights atrocities on a massive scale. The government response to the violence, however, was unfortunately at times, equally extreme.

A Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), set up by the government, issued a report in 2003 that found that more than 70,000 people had been killed or forcibly disappeared in the 20 years of violence. 40% of the victims were from the Ayacucho Department, where Huanta and Callqui are located. The TRC report stated that the Shining Path was responsible for approximately 54% of the deaths; the MRTA for 1.5%; and that government forces were responsible for the remainder.

Throughout the two decades of violence, churches, particularly in the highland regions, found themselves caught in the middle between the different forces battling for power. The Shining Path massacred entire communities of Christians and torched their churches as both a part of its mission to eradicate religion and also in response to the brave stand many of these Christian communities took against the terrorist group.

As can be seen from the Callqui case, however, state forces also targeted Christians. This was, at times because the victims attempted to remain neutral in the conflict or because they spoke out against abuses of human rights committed by the government, but it was also sometimes a specific reaction to their religious activity. A number of indigenous pastors were killed, imprisoned or forcibly disappeared because of their traditional practice of walking from village to village in the mountains to preach in the area under their ministry; the authorities usually accused them of carrying messages for the guerrilla groups, something they and their families have always strenuously denied. The reasons behind the attack on the Callqui church is still unclear, but it is hoped that a trial will bring these to light.