Non-Subscriber Extract
The military in crisis
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| 4 June 2001 |
Unlike the Southern Cone dictatorships, Peru's military government in 1968-1980 was left-wing. This made it possible for the Peruvian armed forces to retain a more legitimacy during democratic transition than their regional peers. It also gave them certain credibility to fight the Shining Path despite reports of human rights violations. But the prestige of the armed forces has been eroded as Fujimori's downfall exposed their corrupt practices and their reform is at the heart of Peru's transition.
In April 2001 yet another of Montesinos' videos was released. It showed high-ranking military officers swearing to support Fujimori's 1992 coup. They had pledged to endorse the so called Green Plan, which envisaged a Fujimori rule of 15 to 20 years. Military officials also swore to defend the 1995 Amnesty Law and to resist any attempt to hold the military responsible for human rights abuses.
In an unprecedented gesture, the heads of the three armed forces and the police chief tendered their resignations and they apologised to the Peruvian people. In their defence, the military officers involved argued they had been forced to sign the pro-Fujimori document. Two days later president Paniagua swore in new commanders, but re-appointed the police chief.
The Montesinos scandals have revealed a deep crisis in the Peruvian military establishment and the reshuffle of the highest ranks has not purged the institution completely. Peruvians are now considering a truth commission to deal with crimes and human rights abuses committed by the military. While such procedure has become common in the post Cold War era, a collective reconciliation process for corruption crimes is new.