Friday, October 13, 2006

Peruvian rebel leader faces verdict at retrial

Abimael Guzman- leader of Maoist rebel group the Shining Path- is awaiting the verdict at his retrial in Peru where he may be sentenced to life in prison. In 1992, Guzman was tried and convicted by a secret court but that verdict was ruled unconstitutional in 2003.

The Shining Path had been one of the deadliest rebel groups in the Americas and has been behind the deaths of 70,000 people in the 1980s and early 1990s. Their deep impact on the history and sociopolitical structure of Peru has even led to the creation of a Shining Path museum in the capital of Lima.

Update (October 14): Guzman was found guilty in his retrial and was sentenced to life in jail. (Link via CNN).

Links- BBC News, International Herald Tribune, Wikipedia, Reuters

Image- BBC News (Abimael Guzman after being arrested in 1992)

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