On 23 December 1999, Aucayacu police officers, in the Amazonian region of San MartÃn, seized video and photographic materials from a number of journalists who were covering an explosion which occurred at a counter-revolutionary base in the town. According to information published in “La República” newspaper, police officers stripped the journalists of their cameras and […]
On 23 December 1999, Aucayacu police officers, in the Amazonian region of San MartÃn, seized video and photographic materials from a number of journalists who were covering an explosion which occurred at a counter-revolutionary base in the town.
According to information published in “La República” newspaper, police officers stripped the journalists of their cameras and video recorders and returned them only after removing the film and video cassettes. The officers also confiscated all material photographed or filmed in the regional hospital, where the five soldiers who died as a result of the explosion and others who were seriously injured were transferred.
Journalist Edgard AlegrÃa Vargas stated that the National Police Chief for Aucayacu, Fernando Quispe Huamán, was one of the perpetrators of the seizure. Apparently Quispe seized the reporterâs videocassette and informed him that he had ordered that the journalistsâ material be turned in to the Aucayacu military authorities.
According to “La República”, the police officersâ actions have generated suspicion amongst the Aucayacu citizens who see this as an attempt by the military authorities to hide the truth behind events at the townâs counter-revolutionary base.
In a news release, the Alto Huallaga Political and Military Command explained that the explosion was the result of an accident. During an ammunitions inventory, a hand grenade was handled by a soldier and exploded, causing other equipment to explode in a chain reaction.
