Tomb of Néstor Cerpa Cartolini

Grave of Néstor Cerpa Cartolini at the Villa María del Triunfo cemetery in Lima. Cerpa Cartolini led the takeover of the Japanese Ambassador's residence. On April 22, 1997, the Special Forces (FFEE) of the Armed Forces carried out Operation Chavín de Huántar, which freed 72 hostages who had been held captive for 136 days following the takeover perpetrated by the MRTA on December 17, 1996. During the rescue, two Army officers, Supreme Court judge Carlos Giusti, and 14 MRTA members responsible for the kidnapping were killed. The results of forensic examinations conducted during the prosecution's investigation suggest that Eduardo Nicolás Cruz Sánchez, "comrade Tito," was extrajudicially executed after the confrontation, when he was already in the custody of military personnel and had laid down his arms. It is presumed that the same occurred with Cerpa. The investigation into the presumed extrajudicial execution of other MRTA members remains pending.