77
It is interesting to note that, for the first time, one member of the Surpreme Court has registered a dissenting opinion in a case regarding the denial of habeas corpus. It is unlikely, however, that any of the prisoners will benefit from judicial process. Consequently, it will not be possible to establish the evidence against the 800 to 1,500 persons arrested during the past year throughout the country. All those whose names are known have been taken up by AI, with a view to pressing for trial.
There are 65 individual cases and six peasant groups currently under adopt- ion or investigation by AI groups.
Peru
In June 1974 Amnesty International groups were informed of the release of the last 64 members of the radical teacher's union SUTEP (Sindicato Unico de Trabajadores de la Educación), detained in October 1973 following strike action and taken up as adoptions by AI.
But trade unionist prisoners continued to be a focus of AI work throughout 1974. In October 1974 Laura Caller, head of AI's Peruvian Section, was briefly jailed for her work as the defence lawyer of imprisoned members of the Federa- tion of Peasants of the Province of Andahuaylas (FEPCA). Laura Caller was released after approaches were made to Peruvian embassies and cables were sent by Secretary General Martin Ennals and AI national sections. Trade unionists from the Confederación Campesina del Peru, Peru's major non-governmental peasant federation,with which the Andahuaylas peasants were affiliated, were detained with Laura Caller, and released some time later after Mr Ennals sent President Velasco Alvarado a cable of inquiry.
In November 1974, AI adopted six members of the Lima Bar Association who were prosecuted for criticizing a government contract with Japan concerning the financing of a trans-Andean oil pipeline. They were sentenced under the 26 July 1974 Press Act for "the publication of materials considered injurious to the nation". Although journalists accused of contravening the Press Act have been exiled, this group of lawyers, which included Dr Vicente Ugarte del Pino, President of the Lima Bar Association, were sentenced to one year imprisonment. In January they were provisionally released.
Legislation concerning the death penalty has been a serious concern of AI in Peru. Following a series of terrorist attacks in December 1974, including an assassination attempt on then Prime Minister General Edgardo Mercado Jarrin in which two high government ministers were wounded, a Decree Law of Political Terrorism was promulgated. The law introduces the death penalty for a broad range of crimes related to political terrorism and removes the right of appeal. Trials are to take place within 48 hours of arrest and sentence is to be delivered 48 hours later. Martin Ennals wrote to President Velasco asking for the derogation or the indefinite suspension of the death penalty provision.
In September 1974, following a series of denunciations of torture in the domestic Peruvian press, President Velasco publicly condemned the practice of torture, announced an investigation into its practice and asked for the resigna- tion of the head of the Peruvian Investigative Police (PIP), one of those implicated