The Uchuraccay massacre: eight journalists savagely murdered in the community most affected by Sendero Luminoso

Massacre in Uchuraccay: eight journalists were killed in the community most affected by Sendero Luminoso. (Andean)

Ayacucho is one of the regions of Peru that has great stories. It has witnessed the final fight for the independence of Peru, a confrontation that was called the Battle of Ayacucho, but it has also been the scene of one of the strongest armed conflicts that the country has experienced.

The terrorist group called Sendero Luminoso marked a before and after in Peru. From the 1980s to the 2000s, the nation witnessed its own citizens spread terror and end up killing each other. One of the most affected provinces was Uchuraccay, a district of the Huanta province in Ayacucho.

Children, women, adults, the elderly, and journalists were murdered in the midst of an internal war whose sole purpose was the seizure of power.

Ayacucho is divided into 11 provinces, one of them is Huanta and Uchuraccay is one of its communities. It is at a latitude of 4,010 meters above sea level in the puna zone of Peru. After several studies, it was possible to determine why it was the place chosen by the Shining Path to establish its base.

It was a strategic town due to its proximity to inhospitable places. It was near a snowy peak and the slopes of this place served as a perfect hiding place for the terrorist group.

Massacre in Uchuraccay: eight journalists were killed in the community most affected by Sendero Luminoso. (Andean)

But how did they settle in Uchuraccay?

The work carried out by Sendero Luminoso was calculated and patient. They began by building trust in part of the population to finally convince them to join “the popular struggle.” Those who did not support his ideas were considered enemies and later, annihilated.

It is known that the person who initiated the link between the Peruvians of Uchuraccay was a certain Martín. He was a stranger who appeared in the town with other companions, during 1981.

The purpose of reaching this community was to be able to exchange their products for those that were in the area (chuños and ocas). Then, they began to look for businesses in order to create a close relationship with the residents.

And they do it like that. Martín and his fellow hikers created friendships in Uchuraccay, they had compadres and were welcomed by various families. It is there that he started the next phase, the change of thought.

Massacre in Uchuraccay: eight journalists were killed in the community most affected by Sendero Luminoso. (Andean)

The “People’s War” was the message he was trying to install in people’s minds. He taught everything about communism and motivated the town to confront the state through the use of weapons. During this whole process, many were convinced, but many others were not.

The president of the community, among other people, did not accept the ideology of the terrorist group and began to talk to their relatives to convince them not to fall into that indoctrination; However, it was late. Sendero had found out everything about them, but also, they had gained followers.

The mask of strangers looking to do business was no longer necessary. With the support of a group of people, they began phase three, eliminate the “enemy”.

They arrested the president and killed him with a shot to the head in a public way in the town square with the aim that the other residents witness that event and know what would happen to them if they go against the objectives of Sendero Luminoso.

The terrorist group showed its true face. Words were just a disguise and his bloody actions were his real weapon.

A large part of the population did not agree with Sendero Luminoso’s request, and that is how they began to organize secret meetings in order to get rid of that violent group.

Other neighboring communities agreed not to accept the indoctrination, which is why they joined together and in the absence of law enforcement, they took justice into their own hands. They killed several Sendero members, five were from Uchuraccay, and seven from surrounding communities.

They knew that this action would bring consequences, the senderistas would take revenge. This event made headlines and the government began to take action. The president at that time, Fernando Belaúnde Terry congratulated the residents and sent protection to the place.

The Sinchis arrived in Uchuraccay by helicopter and told the peasants to continue defending themselves in the same way and to assassinate any stranger who arrives by land, because that is how they would recognize the terrorists. Only those who are not, would arrive via helicopter.

Massacre in Uchuraccay: eight journalists were killed in the community most affected by Sendero Luminoso. (Andean)

A group of journalists from Lima and Ayacucho decided to go to the place to cover what was really happening. Much was said about the event, but there were few portraits of what happened. They wanted to know the truth and decided to go by land.

On January 26, 1983, a vehicle took them to the place. Octavio Infante was one of the local journalists and they settled in the house of one of his relatives, near Uchuraccay.

Juan Argumedo, Octavio’s brother, accompanied them as a guide for the remainder of the trip. His family warned them about the killings, but this was not an impediment to continue with the tour.

After walking for several hours, they reached the place. Argumedo left them and headed towards his home; However, within minutes desperate screams were heard. The residents captured the journalists, as they thought they were terrorists.

Massacre in Uchuraccay: eight journalists were killed in the community most affected by Sendero Luminoso. (Andean)

All kinds of questions began, but the answers were not enough for an inflamed population, but in turn, nervous about the hostility of Sendero Luminoso.

The Uchuraccay secretary gave the order to start the lynching. Half an hour later, there was no journalist alive. They were killed at the point of stones, axes, sticks, spikes, among other tools that the settlers used to defend themselves from Sendero’s attacks.

The guide, Juan Argumedo, was also captured and executed in the same way.

Massacre in Uchuraccay: eight journalists were killed in the community most affected by Sendero Luminoso. (Andean)

The people who were mistaken for terrorists and subsequently killed were:

Eduardo De la Piniella, journalist for El Diario de Marka.Pedro Sánchez, journalist for El Diario de Marka.Félix Gavilán, correspondent journalist for El Diario de Marka.Willy Retto, journalist for El Observador.Jorge Luis Mendívil, journalist for El Observador. Jorge Sedano, journalist for La República. Amador García, journalist for the weekly Oiga. Octavio Infante, journalist for Noticias de Ayacucho. Juan Argumedo, was the guide and interpreter. Severino Huáscar Morales, a resident who tried to prevent the murder of Juan Argumedo.Massacre in Uchuraccay: eight journalists were killed in the community most affected by Sendero Luminoso. (Andean)

Soon the news came out in Lima. Different versions were given and all that confusion was taken advantage of by the Shining Path, who during all that information din ended up annihilating 135 residents.

The number of people killed was equivalent to a third of the population of Uchuraccay.

FACT: After a trial, three community members were sentenced and one died in his cell due to tuberculosis.

Massacre in Uchuraccay: eight journalists were killed in the community most affected by Sendero Luminoso. (Andean)

It was a critical situation in Peru, which is why the few survivors that remained migrated to other communities in order to survive.

Uchuraccay was for some years a ghost town, bathed in blood and pain caused by the Shining Path and in part by the abandonment of the State.

It took a while for the fear to start to wear off. Little by little, the settlers began to return to their long-awaited town. Today it is a district that seeks to leave behind the stormy past of those decades full of terror, because the problems have changed. Today it has around 3,000 inhabitants and is considered the poorest district in the country, according to INEI figures.

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