Young university student arrested for terrorism

A young university student was arrested for terrorism in 1991 and later acquitted. During his detention at DINCOTE, the police told him that his background was ideal to be a member of the Shining Path: he was the son of Ayacucho parents, spoke Quechua, studied at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM) and lived in Callao. Later, when he was assigned to the Shining Path cellblock in Canto Grande prison, the Shining Path members themselves told him that he fit the prototype and asked him why he did not join them. This case illustrates how the security forces selected their victims according to the general profile of those who might be more likely to join the subversive group, based on general categories such as Ayacucho origin, knowledge of Quechua, university studies and place of residence.