Notorious Pervuian School of the Americas Graduates

#Luis Miguel Aparicio Manrique 1971, Internal Security Operations CC-6 Drug-trafficking: Accused of drug-trafficking, money laundering, and corruption in a 1994 case. (CARETAS 1428 August 22, 1996)
*GEN Ismael Araujo 1962 Military Intelligence Officer Lurigancho Prison Massacre, 1986: Accused of involvement in this prison massacre in which more than 120 people were killed, the majority of whom had already surrendered. (AW:UGD)
#COL Eduardo Arbulu Gonzales 1969, Curso de Orientacion para Cadetes C-1 Drug-trafficking: A Congressional Working Group on Chemical Substances, led by Congressman Julio Castro, recommended the investigation of accusations linking Arbulu Gonzales and other military officials to drug trafficking. The accusations were made by members of the press and by other military officials. (IGT)
#COL Mario Arbulu Seminario 1965, Cadet Orientation Drug-trafficking: A Congressional Working Group on Chemical Substances, led by Congressman Julio Castro, recommended the investigation of accusations linking Arbulu Seminario and other military officials to drug trafficking. The accusations were made by members of the press and by other military officials. (IGT)
#MAJ Teodoro Barrera Diaz 1972, Internal Security Operations CC-6 Drug-trafficking: A Congressional Working Group on Chemical Substances, led by Congressman Julio Castro, recommended the investigation of accusations linking Barrera Diaz and other military officials to drug trafficking. The accusations were made by members of the press and by other military officials. (IGT)
#COL Oscar Bernuy Alarcon 1969, Curso de Orientacion para Cadetes C-1 Drug-trafficking: A Congressional Working Group on Chemical Substances, led by Congressman Julio Castro, recommended the investigation of accusations linking Bernuy Alarcon and other military officials to drug trafficking. The accusations were made by members of the press and by other military officials. (IGT)
*LTC Carlos Delgado Medina 1965, Cadet Orientation Accomarca massacre, 1985: Planned the operation that resulted in the massacre of 69 civilians in Accomarcho. (AW:PAFY)
*GEN Manuel Delgado Rojas 1966 Parachute Rigger Supports paramilitary groups, 1990: Gen. Delgado publicly praised the activities of a paramilitary groups that had forcibly occupied a village and assassinated local leaders. (AW:UGD)
#CPT Rafael Franco de la Cuba 1980, Orientación de Armas para Cadetes Drug trafficking: A Congressional Working Group on Chemical Substances, led by Congressman Julio Castro, recommended the investigation of accusations linking Franco de la Cuba and other military officials to drug trafficking. The accusations were made by members of the press and by other military officials. (IGT)
#Maj Eliseo Gonzáles Chavez 1974, Basic Combat & Counterinsurgency Drug-trafficking: Co-defendant in a 1994 case in which he was accused of drug-trafficking, money laundering, and corruption. (EC)
CDR Manuel Guzmán 1976, Commando Operations "La Cantuta" murders, 1992: Guzmán carried out the kidnapping of 9 university students and a professor, and delivered the prisoners to a Special Operations team commanded by MAJ Martin Rivas (below). (AW:LC)
GEN Nicolás de Bari Hermoza Ríos 1964, Auto Maintenance Officers
1976, Command and General Staff College
"La Cantuta" murders, 1992: As Commander of the Peruvian Army, Hermoza refused to let the Peruvian Congress question officers involved in the "La Cantuta" disappearance and murder of 9 university students and a professor. He also issued public threats against the commission investigating the case and paraded tanks through the streets of Lima to back up his words. Later, a top governmental security adviser claimed Hermoza was himself involved in the formation of the death squad that carried out the murders. (AW:LC)
CPT Telmo Hurtado 1982, Cadet Arms Orientation Accomarca Massacre, 1985: On August 14, 1985, Hurtado participated in an army massacre of 69 campesinos (including six children) in Accomarca, Ayacucho. Only Hurtado, at that time a lieutenant and the most junior officer involved, was convicted, although eyewitness testimony linked five officers to the massacre. Hurtado was sentenced to 6 years in prison for "abuse of authority." But a US State Department report released in February of 1994 says Hurtado is free and has returned to active duty, a testament to the impunity enjoyed by most of the Peruvian military. Americas Watch reports he has since been promoted to captain. (AWUT, LP, 1/24/94)
*CPT Hector Lazo 1973, O-20 Obstruction of Justice, 1984: Cpt. Lazo was charged by the General Secretary of the Public Ministry with obstructing the investigation of mass graves in Huanta. (AW:ADA),/b>
MAJ Santiago Martin Rivas 1977, Cadet Orientation Course "La Cantuta" murders, 1992: Sentenced to 20 years on February 22, 1994, for the 1992 kidnapping and murder of nine university students and a professor. Martin Rivas was in charge of "Grupo Colina," a unit comprised of soldiers with murder or assault raps - in exchange for clearing their records, the soldiers performed clandestine, illegal operations such as disappearances and extrajudicial executions. (AW:LC;NSN, 2/27/94)
* MAJ José Mayor Vasquez 1975, Cadet Combat Arms and Combat Summary execution of nine persons, 1993: In March 1993, a military patrol in La Libertad department forced nine prisoners into an abandoned mine. The mine was later blown up with dynamite. The army later reported that Maj. Mayor Vasquez had been detained for the crime. (AW:HRSP)
Vladimiro Lenin Montesinos Torres 1965, Cadet Course "La Cantuta" murders, 1992; death squad leader, torturer: It is believed that Montesinos runs the death squad known as the "Colina" squad, which is a part of Peru's National Intelligence Service (SIN), and is probably responsible for the La Cantuta disappearance of 9 university students and a professor on July 18, 1992. Nominally, Montesinos is President Fujimori's "advisor' to the National Intelligence Service -- in fact, most agree he is the spy organization's chief. One report describes him as Fujimori's "most trusted counselor." (AW:LC) 4 officers tortured after plotting a coup against Fujimori in November 1992 state that Montesinos took an active part in torturing them. (AW:HRP)
MAJ (Ret) Luis Angel Morales Cespedes 1976, Officer Cadet Course Murder: He ordered his subordinates to murder a civilian and hide his body. Subsequently sentenced to 15 years in prison. (AW:UT)
*GEN Wilfredo Mori 1972 Internal Security Operations Accomarca Massacre, 1985: Gen. Mori approved the operation that resulted in the massacre of 69 civilians in Accomarca. He was forced into early retirement as a result of this incident. (AW:PAFY)
1LT Guillermo Paz Bustamante 1982, Cadet Arms Orientation Accomarca Massacre, 1985: On August 14, 1985, Paz Bustamente participated in an army massacre of 69 campesinos (including six children) in Accomarca, Ayacucho. Paz Bustamante was charged only with failing to report the deaths of two peasants during the massacre. The military chose not to convict him, however, on the grounds that he "lacked time. was tired and was experiencing a very tense situation." (AW:UT)
MAJ Carlos Pichilingue Guevara 1980, Cadet Orientation Course "La Cantuta" murders, 1992 (convicted): Sentenced to 20 years on February 22, 1994, for the 1992 kidnapping and murder of nine university students and a professor. Pichilingue, with Martin Rivas (above) was one of the leaders of the operation. (AW:LC)
*GEN Jorge Rabanal 1964, Jungle Operations Lurigancho Prison Massacre, 1986: Gen. Rabanal commanded an operation in which 120 prison inmates were executed. He was found guilty in a civilian court, although a military court later reversed the decision. (AW:DS)
GEN Juan Rivero Lazo 1963, Cadet Orientation Course "La Cantuta" murders, 1992 (convicted): Former head of Peru's Army Directorate of Intelligence (DINTE), sentenced to five years in prison on February 22, 1994 for the 1992 kidnapping and murder of nine university students and a professor from the Enrique Guzmán y Valle University in Lima (La Cantuta). (NSN, 2/27/94) He was the highest ranking of the five SOA graduates to be sentenced for the murders.
General José Valdivia Duenas 1962, Communications Officer Cayara Massacre, 1988: On May 14, 1988, army soldiers under Valdivia Duenas' command killed (with gunshot, bayonets, and farming tools) between 28 and 31 male residents of the hamlet Cayara. Returning four days later, the soldiers arrested many villagers, dozens of whom disappeared (only 3 bodies were recovered). Duenas was subsequently promoted. (PUF)
GEN Juan Velasco Alvarado 1945, GS Functions Dictator, 1968-75. Achieved power by overthrowing elected civilian government. (WP, 5/19/94)


Information researched by Vicky Imerman and Heather Dean.


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