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For Immediate Release SURVIVORS OF ACCOMARCA MASSACRE TO CONFRONT PERPETRATOR TELMO HURTADO HURTADO IN FEDERAL COURT What: A trial on damages will be held against former Peruvian Major Telmo Hurtado Hurtado for his role in the infamous Accomarca Massacre of 1985 in Peru. The two plaintiffs in the case, Teófila Ochoa Lizarbe and Cirila Pulido Baldeón, were only girls when Major Hurtado slaughtered their families in front of them. They have won a default judgment against Major Hurtado and will present testimony on the trauma, pain and suffering they experienced in the aftermath of the massacre in which 69 villagers were killed. Major Hurtado, who is currently in immigration detention, will be ordered to appear. Where: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, 301 N. Miami Ave., Miami, Florida, Courtroom 8. Judge Adelberto Jordon presiding. When: Monday, February 11, 2008, 9:00 a.m. Who: The defendant, Major Telmo Hurtado Hurtado, and his soldiers went house to house on the morning of August 14, 1985, in an area near Accomarca, in the Ayacucho region of Peru, forcibly removing villagers from their homes. The soldiers then attacked and raped many of the women in the community. The troops forced scores of people, including several pregnant women and elderly residents, into two buildings. Major Hurtado threw a grenade at one of the buildings and ordered his troops to open fire. The buildings burnt to the ground. 69 people were killed. Major Hurtado came to the U.S. in 2002 after an amnesty law protecting him from prosecution in Peru was nullified. The plaintiffs, Teófila Ochoa Lizarbe and Cirila Pulido Baldeón, were 12 years old at the time and survived by hiding from the soldiers. Despite Ms. Ochoa Lizarbe’s own escape, her mother, four brothers and a sister were killed. Soldiers murdered Ms. Pulido Baldeón’s mother and brother. The plaintiffs are both members of the Association of Relatives of the Victims of Political Violence in Accomarca which was formed by the survivors of the massacre. The plaintiffs are represented by The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA), a San Francisco-based human rights organization dedicated to ending torture and other severe human rights abuses around the world and advancing the rights of survivors to seek truth, justice and redress. CJA uses litigation to hold perpetrators individually accountable for human rights abuses, develop human rights law and advance the rule of law in countries transitioning from periods of abuse. Why: CJA International Attorney Almudena Bernabeu explains, “After waiting more than 20 years, our clients will finally have their day in court. Hurtado has managed to evade justice until now. This hearing in a U.S. federal court in conjunction with the historic trial against Fujimori for human rights abuses currently underway in Peru, demonstrates that the tide is changing for accountability efforts in Peru and the U.S. Impunity can no longer be an option.” The Accomarca Massacre was committed during the civil war between the government of Peru and insurgent groups, including Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). Throughout that time, the Peruvian Army and other government forces were responsible for widespread and systematic human rights abuses against the civilian population. According to Peru’s Commission for Truth and Reconciliation, 26,259 civilians died or disappeared in the area surrounding Accomarca during the civil war. CJA also represents Ms. Ochoa Lizarbe and Ms. Pulido Baldeón in a similar action against Juan Rivera Rondón in federal court in Maryland. These are the first human rights cases to be filed in the U.S. for atrocities committed against the civilian population in Peru during the civil war. The defendants are charged with extrajudicial killing, torture, war crimes and crimes against humanity. For more information and background on the case, please click here ###
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