Body of Peruvian Christian Found at Military Base after 15 Years

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), its Peruvian partner Paz y Esperanza (Peace and Hope) has recently exhumed the body of an evangelical Christian in Peru, who was detained and disappeared in 1989, at a military base.

The body was identified as Guzman Castillo Roque. On 25th October 1989, he was taken by a military patrol along with two other Christians Jorge Párraga Castillo and Tito Roque Huamanlazo in Atcas, about 180 kilometres south-east of Lima. They were believed to be detained and were never heard of again.

Investigators said that the body of Castillo Roque was burnt before being buried. A bullet in the ribs, pieces of clothing, and burnt rope were found in his remains. A number of broken bones indicated that he was tortured before being killed.

The exhumation at the former military base in Manta was carried out under judicial order and was performed by Mario Gonzalez, the public prosecutor responsible for Forced Disappearances, Extrajudicial Executions and the Exhumation of Clandestine Graves. In addition, the Legal Medicine Institute also participated alongside family members of the victims and a team from Paz y Esperanza.

Till now, the bodies of Jorge Párraga Castillo, an Evangelical pastor and of Tito Roque Huamanlazo have not been found, but it is assumed they met a similar fate.

Ruth Cespedes, Regional Director of Paz y Esperanza said to CSW, the search for the other two bodies continues. Moreover, the Ministry of Defence have been asked to be forthcoming with details of which military personnel were responsible for the activities at the base at the time of the murders.

CSW said that around 70,000 Peruvians were killed or disappeared during years of internal strife as militant guerrilla groups the Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) battled government forces for control of the country. While the government Truth and Reconciliation Commission found the Shining Path to be responsible for most of the deaths and disappearances, government forces have also been blamed for a significant proportion.

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW, said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Guzman, Pastor Parraga and Tito. Having met with families of the disappeared I have seen their pain in not knowing what has happened to their loved ones."

"CSW commends the Peruvian government’s decision to carry out this investigation and encourages it to continue until the truth of what happened in the 1980s and 1990s is brought to light, not only for closure for the families of those who were disappeared and killed, but also for the healing of the nation of Peru."

80 percent of the total population in Peru identifies itself as Roman Catholic. Protestants, the majority of whom are evangelical or Pentecostal, constitute only 7.2 percent of the population.