JOINS FOUR COMRADES IN HUNGER STRIKE.
Hugo, Blanco, the leader of peasants in the Cuzco region of Peru, and Benito Hualpa Quispe, president of the Federacién de Campesinos de Cuzco, held in prison at Arequipa,. Joined Antonio Cartolin and Maéximo Molina,. president and vice-president of the Federacidén de Campesinos [peasants] de Ayacucho, and Santiago Arroyo, another prisoner, in an "indefinite" hunger strik,..
The three latter prisoners are being held in connection with land seizures by peasants at Ongoy which were repressed by government troops last October with considerable bloodshed,
Julio Cabrera, a representative of the Federacién Campesina de Ayacucho, said that Cartolfn and Molina demanded “immediate release since none of them were present when the events at Ongoy occurred. nt.
He said that the detention of Arroyo was "iikewise an abuse, since he is not a Leader.’ "
The three men from Ayacucho began the. “hunger strike when their demand -met with no response and Hugo Blanco and Benito Hualpa Quispe, when they learned about it, joined them out of solidarity.
Luis Huaco Zavalaga, lawyer for the prisoners from Ayacucho confirmed the report about the hunger strike upon returning to Lima after visiting Arequipa,
Antonio Cartolin and M&ximo Molina were arrested in Lima when they went. there in an effort to obtain an interview with President Belatinde to lay before him the true story of what happened at Ongoy.
[We are unable, unfortunately, . to give the date when the 5 hunger strike began, Our correspondent in Lima sent us only a newspaper clipping without indicating the name of the paper or the date, The story itself, which is undated, said that Hugo Blanco "today" joined the “indefinite hunger strike initiated Monday by the peasant leaders of Ayacucho." ] ; | issn FROM HUGO BLANCO TO THE PERUVIAN PEOPLE
The November 11 issue of Revolucién Peruana, organ of the Frente de _Izquierda Revolucionario [Revolutionary Left Front]*, of which Hugo Blanco is president, published the following "message" from their leader to the Peruvian people:
"The Peruvian people are living at a ‘decisive moment ‘and their destiny depends in great measure on the attitude which its revolutionary vanguard adopts. We must assume with serenity and courage the historic task which is ours. cS eThe FIR is composed oF the Agrupacién Pro-Unificacién de la Izquierda Revolucionaria, the Partido Comunista (Leninista) Peruano and the Partido Obrero Revolucionario.
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"Faced with the revolutionary pressure of the masses tired of centuries of hunger and misery, the exploiting classes, realizing the danger which a government of the Batista type would signify for them in these conditions, have had to resign themselves to making some concessions, to giving crumbs to the people through a government which calls itself demo-~ cratic despite having jailed dozens of tradeeunion and political leaders and having begun to massacre peasants.
"The reformist measures of the present government, including the Project for Agrarian Reform, are nothing but maneuvers to hold back the Revolution, which has already been placed underway by the Peruvian people, The least blind sector of the exploiting*classes understands that the oligarchy must retreat in order not to be crushed, imperialism likewise understands this,
"The Peruvian people and their vanguard thus stand before two roads: trust in the government or trust in themselves.
"If the people trust the government this will mean suicide, suicide such as befell the peoples of Guatemala, who trusted in Arbenz, and Argentina, who trusted in Perén,.
"Tf at this ‘erucial moment the Peruvian people suspend their struggle, the government of Belatinde will change into one of the most reactionary that Peru has had; if it does not, then it will be swept aside by the oligarchy. -
"This is what the exploiters seek through their phony 'truce,!
"If, on the contrary, the people trust in their. own power and are not. stopped by promises, if all of us in Peru follow the heroic example of the communalists of Centro, who did not wait for the oligarchy to become charitable; if, to make our revolution, we trust in ourselves, not only will we succeed in avoiding going backward, we will soon win the genuine » demands of the people.
rhe communalists.of Centro wanted to take back their land, they didn't want promises, they didn't want to pay for something that is theirs, and they didn't say this, they did it! We have been saying it for centuroe: Panel we are tired of talk and we have begun to act and we must continue Oo ac
"undoubtedly there will be prisoners and deaths, but the genuine revo~ lution which our country so much needs will be made.
"Land or death! We will wint
| HUGO BLANCO GALDOS
Secretary of Agrarian Reform of the
Departmental Pederation of Peasants
of Cuzco, .
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