Statement by Adolfo Olaechea
woody
To: <justiceint...@domeus.co.uk>
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 3:27 PM
Subject: Statement by Adolfo Olaechea
On the 3rd of July at approximately 4 a.m. while asleep in a hotel
in the town of AlmerМa, I was arrested by the Spanish police acting
on an Interpol warrant, issued originally by the former government
of Alberto Fujimori. I wish to emphasise that the accusations on
which the demand for extradition is based are false and malicious.
That I am not, never have been and never will be a member of the
Communist Party of Peru, known as ?Sendero Luminoso?. That I do
not know Dr. Abimael GuzmАn Reynoso personally, that I
have never communicated with him, either directly or indirectly
in any way and that the claim that I am the ?spokesman for Sendero
Luminoso in Europe? is therefore false. That I have not
participated in any form in political or armed actions that
have taken place in Peru since 1980 nor contacted
anyone of the Communist Party of Peru or anyone claiming
to be a member.
That I am a Peruvian national who has been living abroad
since 1967, primarily in England but also in the United States
for a period of 4-5 years and that all my political activities
are legal and respectful of the laws of the countries in
which I reside.
That during my visits to Peru, lasting three and a half years
at the end of the 1970s until the early 1980s and 15 days for
my wedding in 1990, I never took part in any party political
activity, legal or illegal.
That I have never participated, neither as an individual
nor in conjunction with any other person in the execution,
planning, decision making, or any other aspect of actions
that are illegal according to the Peruvian law and
of which they accuse me in this demand for extradition.
That the Peruvian government itself, through its embassy
in London, recognised this in a public communique circulated
among the British press in 1992 which literally stated that
I have no police or criminal records of any type or any that
would link me with the Communist Party of Peru known as
Sendero Luminoso.
That, since that date, I have never travelled to Peru and
that I have only in the last 3 to 4 years left England for
holidays in other countries.
That this is the first time that I have been officially
informed that the Peruvian judiciary demands my extradition
and that no government or police organ in any of the
countries that I have visited, or in England where I
reside, has ever officially informed me or detained me
in connection with this demand.
That I am of the opinion that I am being persecuted
exclusively for my ideas and that I have been deprived of
my liberty. That I have been prevented from carrying out
my legal business to conduct a study for a large
international company on behalf of one of the British
market research companies that use my services.
That I am being persecuted for my ideas and that I
consider myself a prisoner of conscience. As the Secretary
General of Justice International I call upon all national
and international organisations that defend the
rights of people to denounce my arrest and to demand
a swift and fair trial, bearing in mind that delayed
justice amounts to injustice and that, in order
to limit the economic damage being done to the Peruvian
people, to me personally, my wife and my family, a rapid
resolution of this case would be the best for everyone involved.
For these reasons, and because the Spanish tribunal
has demanded guarantees from the Peruvian State that I can
only be tried for the concrete criminal acts of which they
accuse me (in the Interpol warrant) and not for my ideas
and because the material impossibility of my participation
in the acts described in the demand for my extradition
can be demonstrated, I decided to request the fast
extradition procedure surrendering any right except
for the 40 day period for the Peruvian government to uphold their
demand.
That I hold the ex-president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori
accountable for my situation, for the loss of income and
damage done to my personal reputation as well as that of
the companies who employed me. It is my opinion that
Fujimori who is currently a fugitive from Peruvian justice
and who stands accused of innumerable crimes should follow my example.
That I also hold accountable the current Peruvian government
and its institutions and the State as a whole for negligence
in upholding this pursuing this charge and for not having
rectified this in time.
Adolfo Olaechea--
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