Report about the situation of the political prisoners from the Revolutionary Movement

Tupac Amaru(MRTA)-Peru.

To the organisations present at the Berlin conference for humanity and against neo-liberalism.

1.-The maximum security prison in the naval base of Callao. Among those imprisoned in this maximum security prison are:Victor Polay Campos member of the national directorate of the MRTA and general commander of the People's Army Tupac Amaru(EPT);Maria Lucero Cumpa Miranda, member of the national directorate of the MRTA and commander in the guerrilla; and

Peter Cardenas Schulte,member of the national directorate.

All of the above have been condemned to life imprisonment after brief trials in front of a faceless military tribunal (the judges are masked).The charges they faced were ,terrorism and betrayal of the fatherland"-an invention of the dictatorship,designed to ,legalize" its continual violations of international treaties

and agreements,which have been signed by Peru and supported by the congress

of the Republic.These include :the International Declaration Of Human Rights,

the American Declaration of the Rights and Responsibilities of Man,the

American Convention of Human Rights,the International Pact of Political and Civil

Rights,and the Convention against Torture and others,not to mention the Peruvian

Constitution itself.

Conditions in the prison at the naval base of Callao.

Construction was finished by the Fujimori dictatorship in March of 1993 and it is one of the

greatest demonstrations of its irracionality and lack of respect for human dignity.

It is located within the military installation of the marines,inside the naval base

in the port of Callao,near Lima.

It has been described as a ,tomb for the living",and its purpose is the physical,

psychgological and moral destruction of our prisoners.Furthemore,it is part of the

attempt to intimidate anyone who dares to stand up against the dictatorship.

It complies with a program originated in the darkest recesses of the army and secret

service,designed to hinder,through fear, the formation of a revolutionary

coordination of the Peruvian people,and it is accompanied by a selection of measures

of control,coercion and repression,known as the ,socio-psychological campaign."

This omionous prison-tomb contains eight cells made of reinforced concrete,which

are located 8metres below ground.This is part of the attempt to destroy the

inmates:physical isolation,audio-isolation,visual isolation,darkness,lack of space

and permanent maximum control.It is fitted with bugs and other surveillance systems,

alarms,mines in various locations and permanently operating video cameras;

which are monitored from a central control room.What's more there are walls with

watch towers occupied by marines ,who are armed with long range rifles-FAL(made in Belgium.)

The Cells.

The cells are rectangular and measure 2m by 3m.On one side there is a heavy metal door

closed by interlocking bolts,the keys of which are in the possession of different people

,all officers of the marine's security corps.

On the lower part of these doors there is a small rectangular window,through which food is

passed.It is designed so that our prisoners have no contact with the screws.

Inside each cell,next to the door there is a basin and toilet.The supplies of

water are controlled from the outside and are subject to time limitations.There

is no electric light,the cells are always completely or partially dark.

There is a 15 cm slot above the door of each cell at a height of about 2m,which allows

natural light to enter for some minutes of the day.

The cells are grouped in fours around two small yards.Each cell faces another and

has one to its side.These groups are located,as has been said,in holes dug 8m into

the ground.

When our comrades were moved to this prison tomb,they were drugged with

sedatives,so they lost their sense of time and could have no idea as to where

the cells were located.

Thirty minutes recreation on the yard.

The prisoners are allowed 30 minutes every twenty four hours alone on

the yard,where they may walk around ,read the bible or watch prepared videos.

Correspondence and access to information.

All correspondence is meticulously controlled by security.There is no right of

correspondence.The inmates are allowed no access to books.magazines or

newspapers,nor are they allowed to watch television or listen to the radio.

Visits.

These are permitted once a month and last for 30 mins.Only close family

members may visit.Inmates are allowed no physical contact with the visitors

and the conversations are conducted via electrical audio equipment through

shielded glass.All the conversations are taped.The visitors may bring clothes

and food in cans to the inmates.All such things go through an exhaustive

security check.The visitors reach the prison in hermetically sealed vehicles

which allow them no opportunity to identify where the cells are.

The attempt to force ,a peace agreement."

Having put our prisoners in total isolation,the government,via its intermediary

Vladimiro Montesinos,offered to improve the conditions of the prisoners in

return for signing ,a peace agreement".This would include opening a dialogue

with the government and the renunciation of the armed struggle.This offer,was

made personally by Montesinos to general commander Polay Campos and was

immediately rejected.The government official reacted angrily and threatened

to have our comrade shot.This rejection was followed by those of our other

imprisoned comrades and the dictatorship responded by making prison

conditions harder.

Those who did submit to government pressure have received priveleges

from the authorities.

2 The maximum security prison at Yanamo.

This prison was designated as being ,maximimum security" in 1990 and is located

in the southerly department(region) of Puno at an altitiude of 3,800 m above

sea level.The climate is cold,with temperatures around 15 c during the two months

of summer and going down to -10 c during the winter(which lasts all the rest of

the year.)This prison is built in the middle of a high Andian plateau and is an island

in a desert of lonliness.It covers an area of approximately 10,000 sq.m.On the outside

a force of a hundred ,black berets" has control ,and the complex is guarded

by deployments of troops in trenches and armoured vehicles,lorries,vans and two

helicopters,not to mention a mine field on the perimeter.Internal security is the

responsibility of 300 members of elite sections of the police force.

The prison is made of reinforced concrete and brick.It consists of various

wings,each with its own separate yard.MRTA prisoners are held in Wing 4a.

The cells measure 3m by 3m and house two inmates.There are toilets and sinks,but

the possession of radio or tv is forbidden,as is cooking.The windows are unglassed

and the door is a heavy metal grill,which means our comrades are constantly exposed

to the cold mountain winds.This leads to continual health problems of the lungs,throat

etc..

Following a decree of the dictatorship all new inmates must spend a year

in complete isolation.After this they are kept in their cells for 23 and a

half hours a day,with half an hour recreation on a small yard where

not more than 14 prisoners are allowed at one time.No newspapers

or magazines are allowed and all books,which must be brought by

relatives, must first be censured and then may only be kept in the prison

library.

No tools are permitted in the cells.

Punishments, which the screws can give out as they wish include:isolation in a 1m/2m

cell with no light for up to 48 days,or the stopping of visits or recreation time.

The prison spends the equivelant of 60 cents(of an american dollar) per person

per day on food and the quality is poor..Inmates have suffered drastic weight lose,

which has lead to problems with their digestive systems and tuberculosis.Visitors

are allowed to give food but the distant location of the prison means that

most families can only afford to visit once year.

Only immediate family members are allowed to visit and require a special ,visitors

card".No physical contact is allowed and conversation must be made loudly as the

speakers are separated bz two grills with a large gap in between.Screws walk

around the room continuosly during visits.

3 The maximimum security prison at Castro Castro.

This prison is located in the outskirts of Lima and was a model of high security

until a detachment of MRTA members managed to liberate our comrades by the

use of a 315m tunnel in 1990.

Under Fujimori security has been increased.Soldiers are responsibile for security

outside and the police inside,many of them wear hoods to disguise their identities.

A great problem in this prison is overcrowding,as three prisoners must occupy a

space of 6 sq. m along with their toilet for 23 and a half h.rs a day.

In these conditions there are great health problems ,such as: bronchial and lung

complaints,problems with digestive system and tuberculosis.It is difficult

to get medical attention and there are problems for relatives bringing food

to the jail.Only precooked food or fruit may be brought to the prisoners

and it must be consumed immediately.

Within the prison,as in the others, there is a room where the military trials

are conducted by masked judges.The prisoners are brought in hooded and

torture and maltreatment are common.

4 The maximum security prison at Chorrillos.

In the centre of Lima there is a prison for women accused of terrorist offences.

Although some of the staff is female,the security service is all male.This is the

greatest difference from the other prisons,but everything else is the same.

It consists of three wings, each with three stories.On each of the floors

there is line of adjacent cells ,which lead onto a narrow passage,from which

the prison yards can be seen through a few small windows.

The cells are 2m/3m and on one side there are two bunks directly in front

of a sink and wash basin.A comrade made the following denunciation to

a visiting delegation from the International Red Cross:"It is prohibited to

have a comb,a mirror,a photo,a letter,listen to music,watch television,or

listen to the radio;it is prohibited to talk about politics or current events;

it is forbidden to read,write,smoke..."


These cases reflect the conditions throughout Peru,such as in jails like

Cajamarca,Ica,Arequipa,Huancayo,Huancavelica.

Due to theses conditions,and the violation of basic human rights we

ask that the Solidarity organisations,non-governmental organisations

and political organisations.....present here make declarations against this

contemptous abuse of human dignity.

Berlin,May 1996