Peru’s new Labor Minister was leader of Shining Path, according to prominent terrorist

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Peruvian Labor Minister Iber Maraví Olarte has been identified as a leader of the Shining Path terrorist group in Huamanga and a co-author of several attacks involving Edith Lagos, one of the most prominent terrorists from the early days of the Shining Path.

The newspaper La República has access to the testimony of terrorist Juan Alarcón Gutiérrez, arrested on August 3, 1981. In his account, he says that he knew Iber Maraví, now Minister of Labor in Pedro Castillo’s government, very well and refers to him as “in charge of a sector of the organization in Huamanga,” a region north of Ayacucho and also the cradle of Senderismo.

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In addition, Alarcón Gutiérrez describes in detail the terrorist activities in which Maraví participated, some of which are already known, such as the stone-throwing at the Hotel de Turistas, the attack on Electro Perú, and the robbery and arson attack on the collection office of the Agua Potable company, an attack that the Minister of Labor is said to have led.

According to the terrorist, Maraví gave “Molotov cocktails” to each participant while another colleague transported the gasoline. “After setting the fire, we fled in different directions. However, we had an accident because Ricardo Huañac, or ‘Bonifacio,’ suffered burns on his feet because the gasoline he sprayed from the gallon in the office ignited hastily and wet his foot.”

In his statement, the senderista Alarcón Gutiérrez also points out that Maraví took responsibility for the terror squad in Huamanga. “Around February 1980, I took charge of the western zone, and Víctor Olarte Espinoza (Maraví’s uncle) was in charge as sub-leader. And in the northern zone, Iber Maraví Olarte was the person in charge.”

Until now, Maraví’s involvement in these three attacks (as well as a fourth in 2004) was known thanks to police reports published in various Peruvian media. However, this is the first time that the report of one of the terrorists himself has been published and, more importantly, the first time Maravi has been identified as a member of the terrorist leadership in the capital, Ayacucho.

The letter with which the Minister of Labor put his post at Castillo’s disposal is currently still on the table in the President’s office, with no response. Deputies from the Fuerza Popular, the Alianza para el Progreso (APP), and Somos Perú have already announced that they will not rule out a motion of no confidence in Maraví if Castillo does not remove him from office.