Assassination of Juan Carlos Vega Llona

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Assassination of Juan Carlos Vega Llona
Part of the Internal conflict in Peru
LocationCotahuma, La Paz, Bolivia
DateDecember 6, 1988
TargetJuan Carlos Vega Llona
Attack type
Assassination
Deaths1
Victims1
PerpetratorsShining Path
Assailants2

On December 6, 1988, Juan Carlos Vega Llona (born February 20, 1942, in Lima) was assassinated one block away from the Peruvian embassy in the district of Cotahuma, La Paz, Bolivia, by armed members of the fictitious "Revolutionary Workers Movement" (Spanish: Movimiento Obrero Revolucionario, MOR), created in name by Shining Path, a Peruvian terrorist organisation. The murder of the embassy's naval attaché was carried out in reprisal for the Peruvian prison massacres that took place two years prior.

Background[edit]

Juan Carlos Vega Llona was born on February 20, 1942, in Lima. He entered the Naval Academy in 1959, graduating in 1964.[1] In 1984, he was sent to Ayacucho, then an "Emergency Zone" (Spanish: Zona de Emergencia), where he commanded of the Peruvian Navy's infantry post in Huanta.[2] In 1986, during the first presidency of Alan García, prisoners accused of terrorism who were held in El Frontón rioted coordinated with the prisoners of the San Juan de Lurigancho [es] and Santa Bárbara prisons.[3] After the failure of the negotiations, a plan was drawn up to regain control of the prisons. Vega Llona was in charge of the operation in El Frontón along with Luis Giampietri Rojas. The operations to retake the prisons left hundreds dead due to the clashes that occurred.[4]

Assassination[edit]

In 1987, Captain Vega Llona was assigned as naval attaché to the embassy of Peru in La Paz, Bolivia.[5] After the setback suffered by the events of El Frontón, the Central Committee of Shining Path commissioned the execution of Vega Llona to an annihilation group commanded by Tania Tineo Suasnábar (Comrade Rosa). Other members of the annihilation group were Teófilo Ayma Sayco (Comrade Tomás), and Cipriano Quilla Carcausto (Comrade Saúl).[6]

On December 2, 1988, Mario Serafín Cuentas Alvarado (Comrade Adrián), met with "Comrade Rosa" at the house of "Comrade Margarita" informing her that he had to travel to La Paz. "Comrade Adrián" gave him revolvers, dynamite and leaflets from the "Revolutionary Workers' Movement" (Spanish: Movimiento Obrero Revolucionario, MOR), a fictitious organization called with the aim of misleading potential investigators. The next day, the annihilation group traveled to Bolivia. On December 4, the perpetrators carried out a reconnaissance of the place, a procedure that was repeated the next day. During the reconnaissance, the senderistas stole twice.[7] At the same time, the annihilation group came into contact with the Support Committee for the Peruvian Revolution (CARP-Bolivia)[6] led by "Comrade Rufo", a Bolivian senderista. The CARP-Bolivia provided accommodation for the Peruvian senderistas in El Alto.[7]

On December 6, 1988,[2][8] while Vega Llona was walking down 6 de Agosto Avenue in the direction of the embassy, he was stopped due to a group of passersby who interrupted his path while attempting to board a microbus 10 metres before the avenue's intersection with Aspiazu avenue. At that moment, one of the terrorists shot him in the back while another was in charge of neutralizing the passers-by. Vega Llona, already on the ground, tried to draw his gun but was killed by a bullet to the head.[6] After the murder, the perpetrators threw down the MOR leaflets and fled through the streets of La Paz.[9][10]

In 1989, "Comrade Rosa" was arrested by the Directorate against Terrorism (DIRCOTE).[9] In her testimony, "Comrade Rosa" did not reveal the participation of CARP-Bolivia in the murder, although it would later be revealed.[7] On the other hand, Vega Llona was posthumously promoted to the rank of Counter admiral.[1]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Contralmirante Vega Llona, Juan Carlos". Asociacion de Oficiales de Infanteria de Marina.
  2. ^ a b "APENDICE: CUADROS CRONOLOGICOS SOBRE LA VIOLENCIA POLITICA". Violencia política en el Perú: 1980–1988 (PDF) (in Spanish). Vol. 1. Lima: DESCO Centro de Estudios y Promoción del Desarrollo. 1989. pp. 180–181.
  3. ^ "La historia de la matanza en desaparecido penal El Frontón". RPP Noticias. 2011-08-09.
  4. ^ "La Matanza en "El Frontón"" (PDF). Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación.
  5. ^ Llosa Pazos, Juan Carlos (2019-02-23). "A 30 años de un alevoso crimen". Diario Correo.
  6. ^ a b c Sarmiento Dupuy, Carlos. "El asesinato de Vega Llona". Diario Correo.
  7. ^ a b c Chamorro Pomajambo, Juan Carlos. Los inicios de Sendero Luminoso en Bolivia: El aniquilamiento del capitán Vega Llona (Thesis) (in Spanish). Universidad Nuestra Señora de La Paz.
  8. ^ Calderón, Martín (2021-08-17). "Los marinos que fueron asesinados por el terrorismo". El Comercio.
  9. ^ a b Reátegui, César (2018-02-11). "Sendero golpea a la Marina". Diario Expreso. Archived from the original on 2020-09-19.
  10. ^ Strong, S. (1992). Shining Path: Terror and Revolution in Peru (in Spanish). pp. 225–226.
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