Peru
17.12.01
Urgent Interventions
Peru: continued police harassment of Ms Juana Edelmira Ortega Montes vda. de Aliaga
Case PER 171201
The International Secretariat of the OMCT requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Peru :
Brief description of the situation:
The International Secretariat of the OMCT has been informed of the continued harassment against Ms Juana Edelmira Ortega Montes vda. de Aliaga, seemingly by security forces in Lima, Peru.
According to reports from the Comisión de Derechos Humanos (COMISEDH) Ms Juana Edelmira Ortega Montes vda. de Aliaga lodged a complaint against members of the Peruvian Air Force Fuerza Aérea del Perú (FAP) on 7 March 2001, for the torture and death of her husband Mr Juan Carlos Aliaga Mera, a technician in the FAP. His corpse had been discovered at the watch-post of the Grupo Aéreo Nº 8 in el Callao in the early hours of 27 September 2000. Mr Aliaga Mera worked on the crew of the presidential aeroplane as motor maintenance technician. Since reporting this to the authorities, Ms Ortega Montes vda. de Aliaga has reportedly been victim of a series of threats and harassment.
On 3 April 2001 she was approached at her workplace by a tall man with an Arab accent who, under the pretext of enquiring about a room she had to rent, showed her he was carrying a revolver. The following day she received an intimidating telephone call, letting her understand that she was being followed and surveyed.
On 15 May at about 9.30pm as she was walking towards her home in Miguel Iglesias, in the district of San Juan de Miraflores, Ms Ortega Montes was followed by 4 men in a white car with tinted windows. One of these men opened got out of the car and waited for her to walk past, holding the door open as the car moved slowly alongside her, all four of them staring intimidatingly at her. Fearing that she would be abducted, Ms Ortega Montes asked passers-by for help, then sought refuge in a cafe nearby. She had attempted to note the car registration number, but saw that the plates had been tampered with.
On 10 December 2001 at about 8.00pm, Ms Ortega Montes again saw she was being watched as she walked home, this time by 3 unknown men who pointed guns at her as she arrived at the intersection of the avenues Miguel Iglesias and Maximiliano Carranza. Ms Ortega Montes recognised one of these men as having previously surveyed her house when her husband was alive. When they waved her over, Ms Ortega Montes tried to change direction but was stopped by a man she recognised as having been the one who got out of the car to intimidate her on the previous occasion. This man now proceeded to warn Ms Ortega Montes to stop her legal action, using vague and intimidating threats.
Two days later Ms. Ortega Montes again saw the same man accompanied by a two others as she left her workplace at about 11.30am. At midday she took a taxi to go the COMISEDH lawyers’ offices; the taxi was surrounded by three cars with tinted windows which attempted to intercept it and then followed it as far as the COMISEDH offices.
According to the information from COMISEDH, these acts of intimidation are attempts to stall the investigations into the death of Mr Aliaga before Penal Court No.6 of Callao, court case no.4416-01.
Furthermore, Ms Ortega Montes sought personal police protection which was refused on the pretext that she had not fully identified the persons who were threatening her physical integrity, nor had she indicated the institution they were employed by.
The International Secretariat of the OMCZ condemns these events and shares the serious concerns voiced by the COMISEDH for the security and the physical and psychological integrity of Ms Juana Edelmira Ortega Montes vda. de Aliaga and her family, engaged in the struggle to end the impunity of those involved in the death of her husband.
Requested Action:
Please write to the Peruvian Authorities urging them to:
i. take all measures necessary to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Juana Edelmira Ortega Montes vda. de Aliaga and to end her harassment;
ii. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the death of Mr Aliaga and into his wife’s harassment in order to identify those reponsible, bring them to justice and apply the civil, penal or adminstrative sanctions stipulted by law;
iii. guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental liberties in all the country in accordance with national law and international human rights norms.
Addresses
· Dr. Alejandro Toledo Manrique; Presidente de la República del Perú; Fax: +51 1 427 6722 / 426 6535, E'mail: oginf@presidencia.gob.pe Site: www.peru.gob.pe
· Dr. Fausto Alvarado Dodero; Ministerio de Justicia del Perú - MINJUS; Scipión Llona 350 - Miraflores, Lima 18 - Perú; Tel.: 51-1-440-4310, E'mail: webmaster@minjus.gob.pe
· Dr. Heriberto Benítez; Presidente Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Congreso de la República del Perú; Fax: +51 1 426 2134
· Sra. Nelly Calderón Navarro, Fiscal de la Nación do Ministério Público de Perú, Fax: (+ 51 1) 426 28 00. E'mail: webmaster@mpfn.gob.pe
· Dr. Gino Costa Santolalla, Ministro do Ministerio del Interior de Perú, Fax: (+ 51 1) 225 45 37 / (+ 51 1) 475 29 95. E'mail: ofitel@mininter.gob.pe
· Dr. Walter Albán Peralta, Defensor del Pueblo da Defensoria del Pueblo, Fax: (+ 51 1) 426 78 89. E'mail: defensor@ombudsman.gob.pe
Please also write to the embassies of Peru in your respective country.
Geneva, December 12 2001
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Peru :
Brief description of the situation:
The International Secretariat of the OMCT has been informed of the continued harassment against Ms Juana Edelmira Ortega Montes vda. de Aliaga, seemingly by security forces in Lima, Peru.
According to reports from the Comisión de Derechos Humanos (COMISEDH) Ms Juana Edelmira Ortega Montes vda. de Aliaga lodged a complaint against members of the Peruvian Air Force Fuerza Aérea del Perú (FAP) on 7 March 2001, for the torture and death of her husband Mr Juan Carlos Aliaga Mera, a technician in the FAP. His corpse had been discovered at the watch-post of the Grupo Aéreo Nº 8 in el Callao in the early hours of 27 September 2000. Mr Aliaga Mera worked on the crew of the presidential aeroplane as motor maintenance technician. Since reporting this to the authorities, Ms Ortega Montes vda. de Aliaga has reportedly been victim of a series of threats and harassment.
On 3 April 2001 she was approached at her workplace by a tall man with an Arab accent who, under the pretext of enquiring about a room she had to rent, showed her he was carrying a revolver. The following day she received an intimidating telephone call, letting her understand that she was being followed and surveyed.
On 15 May at about 9.30pm as she was walking towards her home in Miguel Iglesias, in the district of San Juan de Miraflores, Ms Ortega Montes was followed by 4 men in a white car with tinted windows. One of these men opened got out of the car and waited for her to walk past, holding the door open as the car moved slowly alongside her, all four of them staring intimidatingly at her. Fearing that she would be abducted, Ms Ortega Montes asked passers-by for help, then sought refuge in a cafe nearby. She had attempted to note the car registration number, but saw that the plates had been tampered with.
On 10 December 2001 at about 8.00pm, Ms Ortega Montes again saw she was being watched as she walked home, this time by 3 unknown men who pointed guns at her as she arrived at the intersection of the avenues Miguel Iglesias and Maximiliano Carranza. Ms Ortega Montes recognised one of these men as having previously surveyed her house when her husband was alive. When they waved her over, Ms Ortega Montes tried to change direction but was stopped by a man she recognised as having been the one who got out of the car to intimidate her on the previous occasion. This man now proceeded to warn Ms Ortega Montes to stop her legal action, using vague and intimidating threats.
Two days later Ms. Ortega Montes again saw the same man accompanied by a two others as she left her workplace at about 11.30am. At midday she took a taxi to go the COMISEDH lawyers’ offices; the taxi was surrounded by three cars with tinted windows which attempted to intercept it and then followed it as far as the COMISEDH offices.
According to the information from COMISEDH, these acts of intimidation are attempts to stall the investigations into the death of Mr Aliaga before Penal Court No.6 of Callao, court case no.4416-01.
Furthermore, Ms Ortega Montes sought personal police protection which was refused on the pretext that she had not fully identified the persons who were threatening her physical integrity, nor had she indicated the institution they were employed by.
The International Secretariat of the OMCZ condemns these events and shares the serious concerns voiced by the COMISEDH for the security and the physical and psychological integrity of Ms Juana Edelmira Ortega Montes vda. de Aliaga and her family, engaged in the struggle to end the impunity of those involved in the death of her husband.
Requested Action:
Please write to the Peruvian Authorities urging them to:
i. take all measures necessary to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Juana Edelmira Ortega Montes vda. de Aliaga and to end her harassment;
ii. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the death of Mr Aliaga and into his wife’s harassment in order to identify those reponsible, bring them to justice and apply the civil, penal or adminstrative sanctions stipulted by law;
iii. guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental liberties in all the country in accordance with national law and international human rights norms.
Addresses
· Dr. Alejandro Toledo Manrique; Presidente de la República del Perú; Fax: +51 1 427 6722 / 426 6535, E'mail: oginf@presidencia.gob.pe Site: www.peru.gob.pe
· Dr. Fausto Alvarado Dodero; Ministerio de Justicia del Perú - MINJUS; Scipión Llona 350 - Miraflores, Lima 18 - Perú; Tel.: 51-1-440-4310, E'mail: webmaster@minjus.gob.pe
· Dr. Heriberto Benítez; Presidente Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Congreso de la República del Perú; Fax: +51 1 426 2134
· Sra. Nelly Calderón Navarro, Fiscal de la Nación do Ministério Público de Perú, Fax: (+ 51 1) 426 28 00. E'mail: webmaster@mpfn.gob.pe
· Dr. Gino Costa Santolalla, Ministro do Ministerio del Interior de Perú, Fax: (+ 51 1) 225 45 37 / (+ 51 1) 475 29 95. E'mail: ofitel@mininter.gob.pe
· Dr. Walter Albán Peralta, Defensor del Pueblo da Defensoria del Pueblo, Fax: (+ 51 1) 426 78 89. E'mail: defensor@ombudsman.gob.pe
Please also write to the embassies of Peru in your respective country.
Geneva, December 12 2001
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.