Former Shining Path Supporters

How did the Shining Path treat you?
The Shining Path treated me well. I was with people who had previously suffered a tremendously [from the police] and they had the same opinion as I did [The Shining Path treated people well and with justice.]

How well were others treated?
It depended on whom we were dealing with. If people were against us, or exploiters, they would not be treated well. But those who were part of us, of course, there was treatment which was fair for them.

Were there differences among the different groups in the Shining Path and if so, what were they?
No. We were fighting to make a difference and it wasn’t possible that the Shining Path leaders be separated into groups that. We all thought alike.

What ideology or philosophy did the Shining Path teach you?
It taught me a lot: to value my neighbor, to serve, to love my country, to love everyone, to fight for them, and to put an end to injustice, even if it meant losing my life.

And now you are part of another group. When and how did you become a Christian?
I became an evangelical through a friend that I knew in my work. She suffered a lot because of me, to the extent that her pastor prohibited her from talking to me. The most amazing thing is that I was wanted by the jail, but after I had been saved, all the charges against me disappeared

What kind of work are you doing now? Now I am on the path of Jesus and I go through the villages taking the Word of God [to those who were previously mistreated]

How did what you learned from the Shining Path help you in what you are doing now?
All that I learned I apply now – that is, giving myself for people, loving my country, and not looking out for my own good, but rather looking after other people.

Now that you’re a Christian, how have your views regarding the Shining Path changed?
Of course my views have greatly changed. Before I always sought to bring justice with my own hands, but now I fear God and let him bring justice in his time.

Do you think the overall effect of the Shining Path helped promote the cause of the people and will you explain why you think so?
The Shining Path strove to accomplish a wonderful goal. If it had been possible for man to achieve perfect equality, they would have done it. However, now I realize that only through Jesus can a person become truly be happy. That is why now I proclaim Jesus’ way.

What is your name?
My name is Felix

[A 2 min. 13MB .wav of the interview in Spanish.]

Why did you join the Shining Path and how old were you?
I was 36 years old when I joined and I decided to be part of that organization to seek answers for questions in my life and to seek help for my country, which was going through very hard social and economic problems.

Did you ever meet Abimael Guzmán?
I never actually met him, but I studied in the university where he was the president of the university.

Could you give a short summary of your life with the Shining Path?
It was a very interesting experience because in joining this group I sought to see by what form politics could be made to be more just socially. I saw a big difference between socio-economic levels in my country; that’s why I joined this name of group. It was made up of intellectuals who sought to make known in Europe what the Shining Path was doing in Peru.

How did the Shining Path treat you?
They never treated me badly; they were very good people. They [this European group] weren’t involved directly in warfare, and they showed respect to everyone.

How well were others treated?
This group of intelectuals was very well mannered. Apart from myself there were many other young men who were part of this group and they always treated them well. Outsiders were also treated in an excellent manner

Were there differences among the different groups in the Shining Path? If so, what were they?
Referring to the group that I became a part of in France, there were no differences. We were all united. But referring to the national situation, there was a dissident group that did form. It became a part of a different faction. It was then the president Guzman decided to call a halt to the war in order to start another process.

What ideology or philosophy did the Shining Path teach you?
The Shining Path taught that social peace can be achieved by force. That is why the ideology of Marx, Lenin, Engel, and Mao was taught to all the men. Then they sought to apply these ideologies to the Peruvian reality.

Now you have joined a different group. When and how did you become a Christian?
It was August of 1994. It was something from God. God will come when it is his time, but we as men don’t know when he is going to arrive. It is only by the mercy of God that we come to salvation. It is not because we want for things, but it is because God has mercy. In that moment I didn’t know what I was doing, but I was experiencing the love of God. After my conversion, I reflected back and gave thanks to God because then I knew that God accomplishes his will according to his precise timing because he is perfect.

What kind of work are you doing now?
I am an independent man. I used to have a business of renting taxis and other vehicles, but I sold them so that I could be near my family here in Fereñafe. I am in the process of starting a new job that with God’s help I think will go quite well.

Did anything you learned from the Shining Path help you in what you are doing now? Of course, the SHINING PATH always proposed that there be social peace and justice for every human so that he can be free and just in every moment. It’s a divine cause and that’s why I was part of the SHINING PATH.

Now that you’re a Christian, how have your views regarding the Shining Path changed or have the stayed the same?
No, my perspective, or what I thought has definitely changed. It was like I had a different mentality before. I refer to what I thought of the means which the Shining Path used to justify their ends. I can no longer justify their actions, even if it was for a beautiful cause because these kinds of actions do not please God.

Do you think their overall effect was good or bad?
I think that the affect of the Shining Path to the national situation was not beneficial because of what I mentioned above, that the means do not justify the end. Also for me as a person, the effects were deleterious. I now reject their ideology because of the means.

What do you think of the way President Fujimori handled the Shining Path during his ten year reign?
I don’t think he treated them correctly because there was not a single standard for every institution. Also in the war zone of Ayacucho, many injustices on the part of the government were committed. People who did not know the area were sent in and not only did they die, but those police also committed atrocities and injustices because they persecuted and killed many innocent peasants who were not part of the Shining Path group. Many innocent peasants were killed at the hands the oppressive police. They would go into villages and arrest or kill people without knowing whether they were part of the Shining Path or not. Also in the area of law, the government treated unequally those who were peasants and those who had defected from the military. That’s why I don’t think that President Fujimori handled the Shining Path well.

How else might have the Shinig Path been stopped?
It couldn’t have been stopped in any other way. Man can’t change man. If man is not with God, and not convinced that God can change him to be a tool of God, man will never be able to change for the good. God is the one that created man and only he can change man’s heart. Man cannot change himself.