Death of Elba Barrientos

Elba Barrientos, president of the Mothers' Club of Acos Vinchos in Huamanga, was assassinated along with her son in 1984 during a PCP-Sendero Luminoso raid. This assassination is part of the systematic offensive by the PCP-SL against leaders of popular women's organizations, especially those linked to welfare organizations such as mothers' clubs. The case of Elba Barrientos represents one of the first murders of women leaders in Ayacucho since the beginning of the internal armed conflict. Her death illustrates the pattern of violence that the PCP-SL exercised against community leaders working in grassroots organization.