Catholic World News News Feature

Peru Cardinal Slams Army Torture Case April 10, 1997

LIMA (CWN) - Cardinal Augusto Vargas Alzamora of Lima expressed his outrage over the reported torture killings of two female army officers by their own colleagues.

One woman, Leonor La Rosa, is under treatment in a hospital, but the other woman, Mariella Barreto, was found decapitated and the body was cut into six pieces.

"I reject (the torture) as unacceptable conduct among human beings, in the same way that I have rejected and considered unacceptable the attitude of the captors of those who are still being held hostage in the Japanese embassy," said Cardinal Vargas.

La Rosa claims she was tortured by other army intelligence officers for purportedly leaking information to the press about an intelligence campaign to intimidate politicians and members of the media.

Although the three officers were indicted before a military tribunal on Tuesday, human rights groups demanded that the case be heard in a civilian court.