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Aucayacu massacre

The Aucayacu massacre was a selective massacre that occurred on 6 August 1986 in the Peruvian city of Aucayacu (Huánuco). The attack was directed at gay men and sex workers. Those responsible for the attack were members of the Shining Path, a terrorist group, during the internal conflict in Peru.

Context

Shining Path and Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) were far-left terrorist organization who had initiated a conflict against the Peruvian state in the 1980s. They exhibited very hostile behaviour towards sectors that they not sympathetic to their ideological positions, especially state officials. Their hostility was not only limited to their political opponents, they were also against all advances regarding sexual and women's minority rights, which they saw as a consequence of capitalism.

Background

The Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement organized "Crusades against vice" in which Homosexuals, Transgender Individuals, Prostitutes, and others who deviated from the traditional sexual canons were kidnapped and or murdered.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission identified the following:

These executions were part of a political project of the subversive groups that sought the eradication of homosexual sex-affective practices and dissident gender expression."Crusades against vice" were organized by the MRTA to punish homosexuals, prostitutes and infidelity (Montalvo, 2017:62-64).

Massacre

On 6 August 1986, in the city of Aucayacu, capital of the José Crespo Y Castillo District, members of Shining Path killed 10 people, including gay men and female prostitutes.

Condemnation

The mass murders of homosexuals and sex workers during the conflict is considered one of the greatest acts of misogyny, homophobia, and violent actions against prostitution in the country. It is also classified as a sample of exacerbated masculinity and a legacy of internalised discrimination against sexual minorities in parts of the rural population.