BLANCO ADDRESSES THE PEOPLE OF PERU
The following letter was written by Hugo Blanco, main peasant leader in the Convencién valley of Peru, from his cell in the Mariscal Gamarra barracks at Arequipa. In his letter Hugo Blanco appeals for contributions to help his legal defense. Due to communication difficulties, we are unable to specify an address to which funds can be sent. “We hope to provide this in an early issue.
Me
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4 To the People of Peru:
This trial is not against me personally but against the Peruvian revolution. The reaction claims that it will place the guilty ones in>™ the dock. We will not admit this. In the dock must be placed the oligarchy.
It is precisely because the judgment will not be levelled against me personally, that the Peruvian people and not the camarilla of offi- ¢ers and spokesmen in the service of the monsters must be the judge. And before this judge we must make our exposure of the betrayals of our country, the murders, robberies, thefts and violations committed by. the entire oligarchy, especially the landlords in all corners of the country. : “This is. the most favorable time to do this. The Peruvian people are following the trial, ready to listen and to judge. Whatever we are able to do in this sense will be insufficient. The unions, the federations of peasants, of workers, students, employees, etc., must join to the utmost in this task. - ——
It is my fate to be the one to sit in the prisoner's dock. It will be converted into a tribune of the revolution to accuse the accusers. That is why I must have a record of the crimes of the landlords and of the whole oligarchy to throw it into the faces of the accusers who symbolize the reaction, I ask the comrades to send me this record, :
Unfortunately the trial room is not large enough to hold ten mil-~ lion people -- which means that the real judges will not be able to be present. They are in the streets of the cities and towns, in the fields. . . If we want our accusation to reach them, now that history has given us the possibility, it is necessary to prepare millions of | leaflets, of pamphlets, perhaps a book. Unfortunately money is required for this and I do not have any. I have never asked for financial assistance, but now I do it not for myself but for the denunciation, for the accusation.
Land. or death! We will win!
Hugo Blanco
oe Lon UN REQUESTS SOUTH AFRICA TO FREE POLITICAL PRISONERS
The General Assembly of the United Nations voted 106 to 1 October ll for a resolution demanding that South Africa drop a scandalous trial of political opponents and free all political prisoners.
‘Nine countries had abstained the day before. (The United States, Great Britain, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Panama.) In face of ‘the overwhelming sentiment against — South Africa, wnich was the only country to vote against the resolution, the abstainers registered their objections over implications that ‘“interference" in the internal affairs of a sovereign country might be oS involved and joined the majority. _ The resolution "