Extrajudicial Executions in Ayacucho: Peruvian Military and Sendero Are Blamed

The document discusses two separate mass killings, one committed by the guerrillas and one by the military. The report indicates that the military patrol that committed the killings was under the control of a local military official known as “centurion,” who according to other embassy reports has operated with impunity in Huanta and may have been the “right-hand man” of Ayacucho’s political-military commander, General Fernandez-Davila. The Fiscal and Regional President have attributed the killings to the “rondas” (civil defense patrols) or to the military and the Senate has unanimously approved the formation of a special commission to investigate the killings. The report concludes that this episode represents the first test of President Fujimori’s commitment to enforce accountability on the military in their campaign against the guerrillas.