Diario El Regional de Piura
National Coordinator for Human Rights
Majaz Mine is responsible for tortures against peasants from Ayabaca and Huancabamba
Tortures peasants demand for justice
The conflicts generated in the Piuran highlands, have come about in a criminal denunciation against mining company Rio Blanco. (Foto de Archivo)
June,07,2008.- Piura. Yesterday the National Coordinator for Human Rights (CNDDHH) denunciated tortures against peasants from Ayabaca and Huancabamba occurred in August 2005 on behalf of agents from the National Special Operations Direction (DINOES).
The affected peasants were detained for protesting against the presence of the Mining Company Majaz (today Rio Blanco Cooper) on land which belongs to the peasant community and from which the mining company does not have any permits according to the law. In consequence the peasants where retained after a confrontation with the police.
The detainees were held against their will in the Majaz mining camp during 72 hours, time in which they were victims of physical and psychological abuse. Among the detainees was Cleofe Neyra (Huancabamba) and Elizabeth Cunya (Ayabaca) who were sexually assaulted.
Regarding this fact CNDDHH will give notice of the case before the public prosecutor in Piura in the human rights area, under the charges of aggravated kidnapping, torture, aggravated homicide, crimes against omission, sexual freedom and issuing a false certificate, based on the research carried out by CNDDHH.
Mar Perez legal representative of CNDDHH said that the proof, points out to accuse the police for torturing the peasants, and to former director of National Police, General Marco Miyashiro for his inaction before these events. Likewise, the denunciation accuses Majaz Mining managers, from which there are signs of coordination’s made with the police which protected the camp.
Tortured peasants demand justice
“What we lived up there was brutal savagery” – Elizabeth Cunya“Orders are not carried out without doubt nor murmurs” – Julio Castro
Yesterday the denunciation in defense of peasants from Ayabaca and Huancabamba was presented which were tortured by police agents, on August 1st 2005, whenthey were detained for protesting against the illegal presence of Majaz Mining Company (today Rio Blanco Cooper). The affected persons were held during 72 hours against their will and were victims of humiliation, psychological ill treatment, threatened to death and sexually harassed in the case of women, all occurred in the facility of the camp called Herry’s Hill where the mine works.The criminal denunciation was presented before the Fifth Prosecuting Office located in Piura, specialized on terrorism crimes and crimes against humanity; presided by Public Prosecutor Juan Ortiz Arevalo.
The alleged responsible and accused before the Public Prosecutors Office in Piura are General of the National Police (PNP) Ricardo Benavides Ramirez, Chief of the First Territorial Direction of PNP, responsible of the territorial area where the facts occurred, also Colonel PNP Ricardo Murillo, responsible of maintaining order in the conflict zone, who had the detainees under custody in the mining camp, like Captain PNP Marco Gonzales Santillan, Chief of the Police Detachment at “Henry’s Hill” in charge of protecting the facility belonging to Majaz Mining Company. Also, the denunciation holds the police agents (DINOES) and security personnel of Majaz Mining Company responsible.
Former Prosecutor Felix Toledo Leiva is also denunciated for omission of denunciation regarding these facts and who currently is serving sentence in Rio Seco Penitentiary – Piura for bribery.
The representative of the aggravated peasants is Mr. David Velazco from the Ecumenical Foundation for Development and Peace (FEDEPAZ) and National Coordinator for Human Rights presented the file at 11:25am.
Velazco said that they have resorted to international experts of renowned prestige like the institution Physicians for Human Rights “these experts established categorically and forcefully that the persons suffered psychological and physical tortures”.
Likewise, Velazco said “that the responsibility would reach General (in retirement) Marco Miyashiro so we are requesting for him to be investigated”.
The affected
For Elizabeth Cunya Ovillo pain is latent she said, “what we lived up there was brutal savagery and we demand justice (…) there was no respect for our rights, no respect for the community, the human beings conscience, nothing is respected”.
On his behalf Pedro Aponte Guerrero community member said: “we seek justice, an investigation of those responsible and punishment from the judicial power”.
Regarding the mining conflict lived in Piura highlands Pedro Aponte said: “we have lost out faith and have doubts, we only ask for justice and do not bias against anyone. There is no peace with them (Majaz) they are still threatening against us accusing our community members as violent persons presenting montages as terrorist and it is not true. The keep threatening against the rights of community members and ronderos”.
Elizabeth Cunya commented “if we want to talk about honesty and that it’s going to be a project (Rio Blanco) which will benefit the future, it has to begin with respecting each one of the citizen rights”.
Post Traumatic Effect
For psychiatrist Julio Castro Castro the persons victims of repression suffer an effect called post traumatic “the person starts with being afraid, a distress marked with thoughts (…) which you do not want to remember, the person experiences again the traumatic event, with chronic and recurrent nightmares related with the event, and this is beyond the persons control (…) they will have different kinds of generalized disorders, phobias, depression and suicide attempts”. According to the Doctor.
Castro affirms that the post traumatic effect affects the rest of the family members “in different degrees depending on the kind of role played by the person (wife, husband, son)”.
Regarding the current relationship between the police and the community organizations the Psychiatrist said: “the police is supposed to be persons representing order but at the same time justice, protecting civil society. What are these peasants going to think of the National Police which were staying in the mining camp facilities (…) they are going to think that the National Police is serving the Mining Company and not to protect them”.
Also the post traumatic effect reaches police agents he said because “there are honest policemen, Christians, who have witnessed what happened there and can not speak due to fear or retaliation of their superiors, that man sure feels tormented, because he as taken part as witness of a repression event ordered by his chiefs on behalf of one of the parties in the conflict (Majaz), in this action the police has disqualified itself”.
“Orders are not carried out without doubts nor murmurs (…) orders have to be ethical and members of armed forces or police are not obliged to obey orders which threaten lives of other persons” he concluded.
Diario El Regional de Piura