Abimael Guzman

Guzman, 69, was sentenced to life in prison in 1992 by a military court whose judges' identities were hidden. The sentence was overturned last year by Peru's Constitutional Court, which ruled the secret military court was illegally constituted.

As his retrial opened in a courtroom on the Callao naval base west of Lima where Guzman and other Shining Path leaders have been jailed, the 18 defendants raised fists and shouted, "Long live Peru's Communist Party," "Long live the armed struggle" and "Glory to the Peruvian people."

Prosecutors are again seeking a life sentence for Guzman, who led 7,000 Shining Path fighters in a guerrilla war in the 1980s and 1990s, when they are accused of responsibility for nearly 70,000 deaths.

The Japan Times Weekly: Nov. 13, 2004
(C) All rights reserved