PRESS RELEASE

The international representation of the revolutionary movement Túpac Amaru, MRTA,informs the national and international public opinion that the political prisioners incarcerated in the military prison of the Naval Base at Callao, Víctor Polay, Peter Cárdenas and Miguel Rincón, have been on hunger-strike since midnight of 21.09.99. they are protesting against the prison conditions, they have been subjected to by the dictatorial regime of mr. Alberto Fujimori. These conditions consist of cruel, humiliating and degrading treatment as well as an open violation of their fundamental rights as human beings.

In recognition of this political action, undertaken by the leaders of the MRTA, the political prisioners of the maximun security prison at Yanamayo started a hunger-strike at midnight of the twenty-third of this month in order to support the comrades of the Naval Base at Callao.

The conditions the politicals prisioners are subjected to: - Enclosure for 23 hours a day in tiny cells in total isolation. - Hour long monthly visits in speaking cells. - Insuffucient nutrition. - Lack of medical attention. - Information ban: no television, radio, journals or any books except the bible.

International organisations are refusedentry to the military prison of the Naval Base at Callao. These prison conditions, imposed by the civil-military dictatorship of mr. Alberto Fujimori reflecthis sadistic and vengeful attitude towards the social campaigners, whose only crime is to work for a dignified life, liberty and social justice for the peruvian people. It is these inhumane prison conditions in struggle: a hunger-strike to obtain respect for the status of all the political prisoners as human beings. The political prisoners demand the following: A) Definitive closure of the military prison of the Naval Base at Callao. B) The transfer of the political prisoners of the Naval Base at Callao to civil prisons. C) A dignified and humane treatment of all political and social prisoners which would end the system of closed prisons. This is an appeal to all professional and honest newspapers, to the alternative media, that they spread the news of the form of struggle adopted by the political prisoners in Peru by all means at their disposal, in order to prevent the communication monopolies from censoring the information about this political action, and the Fujimori-regime from usig their disinformation as a chance to commit a new crime against the political prisoners in the various prisons of Peru. We are grateful for your attention to this matter respectfully.

Isaac Velazco
International representative of the MRTA
Tel-Fax: 0049-40-444721