Andean Group - September 2012 (ISSN 1741-4466)

President Ollanta Humala is determined to defeat Peru’s Sendero Luminoso (SL) insurgent group, not only militarily but also politically. At least this appears to be the intention behind a new ‘denial law’ bill, which seeks to introduce penal sanctions for those who deny or justify terrorist acts committed in the last two decades. Yet, this attempt to stamp out any lingering public support for SL may not be the best way to eradicate an ideology that has been able to exploit the social and political divisions in the country. One of the reasons why SL continues to have some support is precisely because Peruvian politics have been unable to fundamentally discredit SL’s ideology, choosing instead not grapple with it.

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