In seguito alla mobilitazione internazionale, Hugo Blanco è stato liberato. Pubblichiamo di seguito una sua lettera.

Thank you everbody for your support. My father is free for the moment and he has written this letter to thank you all.

Best Wishes
Oscar Blanco Berglund

MY ARREST
First of all, I want to express my gratitude to all individuals and institutions that, once they heard about my arrest, demanded my liberty. Your support was very important. I want to specially thank
our Canadian friends, whose support has made it possible for Lucha Indigena still to be published. A special thank also to Conacami, our friends in the indigenous and social struggle in Peru, and also to
Wilbert Rozas, the mayor who set up the first local government governed by the indigenous communities, who travelled to Paruro as soon as he heard the news. Thanks to all this solidarity my liberation
was quick…for now.
My relation to this case goes back to my childhood in Huanoquite, Paruro, Cusco, when I got the news that the landowner Bartolomé Paz had let the bottom of an indigenous farmer be branded with hot iron,
with his initials: BP. Of course Mr. Paz was not arrested, that was not possible since he was a respected man. That act probably decided
the purpose of my life.
Now his son, Rosendo Paz, heir of the hacienda, takes neighbouring land in Markhura, belonging to the indigenous community of
Tantarcalla. He has even set up a paddock specifically for stolen
cattle, something that was reported by the owner.
The community has documents proving their ownership. In 2006 the
members of the community came to the Farmers’ Federation of Cusco, of
which they are members, bringing their deeds, to ask for the presence
of a representative from the federation at the ceremony, where the
land was to be distributed amongst the members in order to be used. I
was assigned this task by the federation. I fulfilled the task, which
I immediately informed the local police station about. They did not
object in any way or form.
At a later date, Rosendo Paz ordered the police in Huanoquite to go
and take the members of the community away, an order that was
immediately executed. Since the farmers had the audacity to resist the
attack, they were beaten and taken to the village and then to the city
of Cusco. This included women with crying children. I was not present
when these acts took place, but I was called to give a statement.
Obviously, those who were classified as criminals were not the
aggressors, but the victims of the aggressions.
When I was arrested and was told that I was accused of “Violence and
Resistance to Authority”, I thought that it was in relation to this
act, at which I was not present. I was wrong, the judge had the good
will to tell me. The crime of “Violence and Resistance to Authority”
was committed by assisting to the ceremony of the land distribution,
during which there was no violence at all and no state representative
was present.
I understand. We are in the country in which the Parliament,
abdicating from their duty, authorised the cabinet to legislate in
their place, against “Organised Crime”. Alan García used this
authorisation to legislate against claims by organised people,
penalising protest.
The victims of this word manipulation are the hundreds of people all
around Peru who have been arrested and sentenced for claiming their
rights. These are comrades who have the misfortune not to be well
known, for which nobody raises their voice to protest on their behalf.
Fortunately I did get the support necessary to be released quickly. I
call on all the voices of solidarity, which with their swift action
brought me out of prison, to protect together all the victims of the
penalisation of protest. It seems like Conacami have already started a
campaign. Let us take part in that campaign. I will keep the addresses
of all those who with their voices of solidarity set me free, in order
to invite you to take part in the defence of other victims of
repression.
As of my case, it is not finished. The system tends to leave the sword
of Damocles just above the heads of those who protest, with the threat
that if they do not change their attitude and close their mouths, the
sword will fall.
The judge gave me an ambiguous document, in which I am called to
attend on the 21 November. It is ambiguous because it is unclear
whether I may be arrested again if I do not attend. In this way the
interpretation is up to the repression and the political needs of the
regime.
This is the kind of documents they tend to give out. They mean: “If
you keep quiet nothing will happen, but if you keep on protesting you
will be incarcerated.
How can they explain my arrest for an event that took place over two
years ago, without asking me to give a statement in all that time,
when I was called, attended and gave a statement for a later event?
The explanation is that my local activities were not bothering them
much back then. Now on the other hand, when all the countryside is
moving because of the fierce attacks on indigenous communities,
organisations from around the country invite me to talk about the
attack and to coordinate the defence, the prime minister calls me old-
fashioned and my activities are bothering them.
I promise to keep fighting until my last breath against the oppression
against our peoples, which began five centuries ago.

Hugo Blanco

Hugo Blanco Gonzales, storico leader contadino peruviano degli anni '60, già Deputato al Parlamento e tuttora, a 73 anni, attivo nei movimenti sociali, è stato arrestato per aver difeso la comunità indigena di Cusco. Organizziamo la solidarietà immediata per la sua liberazione, inviando messaggi all'ambasciata peruviana a Roma embperu@ambasciataperu2.91.it e p.c. l.malabarba@senato.it

Gentile Signor Ambasciatore Carlos Roca Cáceres

Le chiediamo di indagare su questo caso, dal momento che esso sembra essere parte di una tendenza crescente a criminalizzare le proteste sociali e gli attivisti indigeni e sociali in Perù. La chiediamo inoltre di contribuire a chiarificare la questione della proprietà legale della terra, per fermare questi maltrattamenti a cui è sottoposta la comunità da parte di persone che avrebbero il dovere di difendere i loro diritti.

Cordialmente

Vittorio Agnoletto, deputato al Parlamento Europeo

Luisa Morgantini, vicepresidente Parlamento Europeo

Salvatore Cannavò, già deputato al Parlamento

Franco Turigliatto, gia senatore della Repubblica

Gigi Malabarba, già senatore della Repubblica