Peru court frees 2 accused death squad members

[Judi Lynn]

Peru court frees 2 accused death squad members
By ANDREW WHALEN, Associated Press Writer
Andrew Whalen, Associated Press Writer – 11 mins ago

LIMA, Peru – A Peruvian court freed two men accused of belonging to a military death squad linked to several massacres in the early 1990s, after the suspects completed six years in prison without a conviction, a court official said Tuesday.

The former military officers are on trial on charges of murder, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy in the 1991 massacre of 15 people, including an 8-year-old boy, at Lima's Barrios Altos tenement, court clerk Daniel Luna told The Associated Press.

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Barrios Altos is one of two massacres that ex-President Alberto Fujimori is charged with authorizing.

Fujimori, 70, is on trial and faces up to 30 years in prison for ordering the "Colina group" death squad to carry out a ruthless campaign against Maoist Shining Path rebels and suspected sympathizers. He denies having any knowledge of death squad activities or of ordering the dirty-war tactics. A verdict in that case is expected in March.

The Barrios Altos raid was an intended strike at suspected sympathizers of the Shining Path insurgency, which nearly crippled the government in the 1980s and early 1990s. Nearly 70,000 people were killed in the conflict.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090127/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_peru_death_squad;_ylt=A0wNcwg4jH9JzW8AVwFvaA8F