The Shining Path, the Communist Party of Peru was known for its extreme violence against anyone who stood in their way. Even against the poor they would fight for. After the arrest of leader Guzmán, the party is no longer what it used to be, but Shining Path guerrillas are still active in Peru.
Name and Establishment of the Party
The Communist Party of Peru ( Partido Comunista del Perú in Spanish ), also known as Shining Path, was founded in the late 1960s by Abimael Guzmán, a former professor of philosophy and known to his fellow party members as Presidente Gonzalo. The name shining path (Sendero Luminoso in Spanish) is derived from the words of José Carlos Mariátegui, founder of the original Peruvian Communist Party: El Marxismo-Leninismo abrirá el sendero luminoso hacia la revolución (MarxismLeninism will open the shining path to revolution ). The followers are known as senderistas . The party emerged at the San Cristóbal of Huamanga University, in Ayacucho, where Guzmán taught. The party slowly gained a foothold at various universities. When the work at the universities became less, they decided to work elsewhere. From March 17, 1980, secret meetings were held in Ayacucho, establishing a Revolutionary Directorate that was both political and military in nature. There was also a military school, where members were introduced to the use of weapons and military tactics. Typical Maoist meetings were also held where people expressed criticism and self-criticism. From all this, Guzmán emerged as the clear leader.
The goal of the Shining Path was to replace bourgeois democracy with a New Democracy. By imposing a proletarian dictatorship and with the help of a cultural revolution, one could end up with pure communism. All communist countries were seen as revisionist and the Shining Path was the last true communist movement.
Guerrilla War
In 1980, free elections were organized in Peru for the first time in a long time, but the Shining Path refused to participate. They started a guerrilla war in the Ayacucho region. On election day they burned the ballot papers in Chuschi. This was a minor incident and barely noticed, but it was a start for what was to come. In the 1980s, the support of the Shining Path and the region where they were active grew. The rural population in the impoverished regions of Ayacucho, Apurímac and Huancavelica, long abandoned by Peruvian politics, found the rebels especially attractive, also because they provided summary justice. On December 29, 1981, a state of emergency was declared in the three regions. The government made a number of serious mistakes, because the army acted far too harshly, arrested people who had nothing to do with the Shining Path, tortured and killed people. The army also provided part of the rural population with weapons to turn against the Shining Path; these groups were called rondas. This led to a guerrilla war between the Shining Path and the Rondas. In response, the Shining Path entered the province of Huanca Sancos and raided the towns of Yanaccollpa, Ataccara, Llacchua, Muylacruz, and Lucanamarca, killing 69 people. This became known as the Lucanamarca Massacre. More such actions followed. The group also established labor camps for what they called traitors.
Five
Not only the countryside was affected, the group tried to expand its activities to Lima, the capital. Several attacks were committed and people from various groups were kidnapped, including other communists, members of the ruling party, etc. In 1991 the party controlled a large part of southern and central Peru and there was also a large percentage of Shining Path people can be found in the suburbs of Lima. In 1991, President Fujimori gave the rondas legal status, now calling them Comités de auto defensa (committees of self-defense). President Valentín Paniagua established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the conflict. In 2003, their report was released showing that around 70,000 people had become victims during the conflict between the government and the Shining Path. About half of the victims were killed by the Shining Path, a third by government forces and the rest by other guerrilla groups and militias.
After Guzman
On September 12, 1992, Guzmán was arrested, along with several other party leaders. Guzmán was sentenced to life in prison. His place was taken by Óscar Ramírez. But the Shining Path was not what it used to be, they suffered great losses during battles with the campesinos, the ones they were supposed to be fighting for. Ramírez was arrested in 1999 and the party splintered. The guerrilla was as good as over and peace returned. Yet incidents continue to occur involving members or former members of the Shining Path. On October 7, 2012, an attack was carried out against three helicopters in the Cusco region. The involvement of Shining Path in cocaine trafficking is also suspected.
Amnesty
The Movimiento Por Amnistía y Derechos Fundamentales (Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights) is a relatively new movement that, among other things, claims to be fighting for Guzmán’s amnesty. Peru has not officially allowed the party, but the Shining Path has certainly not been forgotten.