Peruvian court sentences Shining Path leader to life in prison

A court in Peru has sentenced “Comrade Artemio,” the leader of a remnant of the Maoist Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) guerrilla movement, to life in prison.

Artemio, whose real name is Florindo Eleuterio Flores, was found guilty of terrorism by a court in Lima on Saturday.

He also must pay a fine of 183 million dollars.

“It was proven that he ordered the execution of a number of civilians, police, and soldiers,” Judge Clotilde Cavero said, adding, “It was proven that he belonged to the Central Committee of the Shining Path.”

Artemio, 51, was captured in February 2012 in Alto Huallaga, a former rebel stronghold and cocaine-producing region.

“It was proven that he (Artemio) was the top leader in the (Alto) Huallaga (Valley),” the judge said.

In September 2011, Artemio said the Shining Path had been defeated and the remaining rebels were ready to negotiate with the government, but Peruvian President Ollanta Humala said in September 2012 that he would not hold talks with “terrorists.”

“They are cold-blooded killers, who kidnap children, don’t respect basic rights, and try to use terror and extortion to change the democratic nature of the country,” the Peruvian president stated.

President Humala, a former army lieutenant colonel, fought against the Shining Path in the 1990s.

In 1992, the rebels were weakened after Abimael Guzman, the founder of the group, was captured. The remaining Shining Path guerillas are currently active in the Ene-Apurimac Valley, a remote jungle region in southern Peru.