DEMAND TO STOP THE POLITICAL PERSECUTION AND THE RELEASE OF ALL THOSE PURSUED AND IMPRISONED, OF ALL OUR COMRADES FROM THE AMNESTY AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN THE PREVIOUS POLITICAL PROCESS IN LIMA! DOWN WITH POLITICAL PERSECUTION OF IDEAS!

INTERNATIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE (ICC) OF THE INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE OF PEOPLES’ STRUGGLE

We are totally shocked by the brutal and illegal persecution against our 121 comrades, lawyers, teachers, workers, artists, students, street people, and social fighters imprisoned in Peru, and they seek to expand it to 300 others. This week, 53 were already imprisoned, and more are threatened with arrest.

The past December 2, in a gigantic brutal police and military raid in Peru, 77 of 121 of our dear comrades falsely accused of the crime of terrorism have been arrested, including 11 lawyers, like M Alfredo Crespo, and union leaders, in the midst of the military state of emergency.

Nevertheless, the Political Constitution of Peru statutes in Chapter 1: Fundamental Rights of the Person, Article 3 guarantees: “Freedom of conscience and religion, individually or in association. There is no persecution for ideas or beliefs. There is no crime of opinion.” The government don’t respect at all, these fundamental rights, neither the International Agreements and Conventions, they have signed.

We express our rejection and categorical repudiation of this illegal, arbitrary and abusive hunt led by the Peruvian government that began in the early morning hours of December 2^nd, breaking into 94 houses, of which they have broken doors and windows, lifting minors who were staying overnight with their fathers, beating up mothers for demanding the order of the Court for such an outrage, detaining a nursing mother with her baby, harassing her by taking the child to the INABIF, breaking the health of the elderly, arresting lawyers to deny any kind of legal defense and physical and psychological abuse of all detainees and their families.

All of them fight for fundamental and social rights, such as the right to electoral participation, demand a new Constitution with a Constituent Assembly, reject capitalism and for socialism. None of that is a crime in Peru or elsewhere. They flagrantly violate the presumption of innocence and the right to defense.

This sinister anti-popular raid clearly shows the infamous plans of imperialism, by the military interventionist Group of Lima, and native reaction.  In its fierce defense of capitalism, they deploy a hard hatred and vengeance against them.

With profound indignation, we reject these devious and provocative attacks, which they use to divert attention, discredit the social fighters and defend the system of capitalist exploitation and oppression.

Moreover, fifteen of those imprisoned have been infected by Covid-19. We demand the freedom of all the detainees, respect for the fundamental rights of opinion, organization and political participation.  We condemn the torture to which they are subjected to and demand STOP PERSECUTION!

We call for immediate international solidarity from the popular organizations of the world. We condemn the vile attacks against the Peruvian people and demand the freedom of the detainees, the outstanding sons and daughters of the people.

FREE OUR COMRADES WHO ARE FIGHTING AGAINST CAPITALIST OPPRESSION! WORLD SOLIDARITY AGAINST REPRESSION IN PERU! DOWN WITH REPRESSION, HATRED AND REVENGE AGAINST THE PEOPLE BY THE PERUVIAN STATE! INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY WITH LAWYERS, TEACHERS, ARTISTS, STUDENTS, WORKERS, PEOPLE, SOCIAL FIGHTERS IMPRISONED IN PERU! FIGHTING FOR A NEW CONSTITUTION AND SOCIALISM IS NOT A CRIME!

 (Statement adopted by the International Coordinating Committee in its meeting held last February 20, 2021)