Barrios Altos massacre
The Barrios Altos massacre occurred on 3 November 1991 in the Barrios Altos neighborhood of Lima, Peru. Members of Grupo Colina, a death squad comprising Peruvian Armed Forces personnel, were later identified as the assailants who killed fifteen individuals, including an eight-year-old child, and injured four others. The victims were reportedly partygoers associated with the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist group Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso). Nevertheless, judicial authorities found that they were not terrorists.
| Barrios Altos massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lima, Peru |
| Date | 3 November 1991 |
| Target | Shining Path militants (intended) |
Attack type | Mass shooting |
| Deaths | 15 |
| Injured | 4 |
| Victims | Civilians |
| Perpetrators | Grupo Colina |
No. of participants | 6 |
The massacre came to symbolize the widespread human rights abuses that occurred during the presidency of Alberto Fujimori. In August 2001, following a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Peruvian government agreed to pay $3.3 million in compensation to the victims and their families. The case was also among those examined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission after Fujimori's government fell in 2000.
The Barrios Altos massacre was one of the crimes cited in the request for Fujimori's extradition from Japan to Peru in 2003. On 20 September 2007, he was eventually extradited from Chile to Peru to stand trial for the massacre, among other charges.