Local District Attorneys Press Charges Against Marine Commander in Ayala Disappearance and Evangelical Killing Cases
The U.S. Embassy describes criminal charges brought against Lt. Commander Alvaro Artaza Adrianzen, former head of the Marine garrison in Huanta. The charges involve the August 1984 disappearance of journalist Jaime Ayala and the murder of six members of an evangelical church on August 1, 1984 in Callqui. This is the first time since the military was granted authority over the emergency zones in December of 1982, that the state has attempted to prosecute military officers with command responsibility for criminal acts perpetrated against the civilian population.