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Peru Court Orders 18 Months’ Preventive Detention for MRTA Leader Víctor Polay in ‘Las Gardenias’ Case

Judges cited flight risk due to a prior jailbreak plus relatives overseas.

Overview

  • The order, issued at the prosecution’s request, concerns allegations of qualified homicide and aggravated terrorism tied to hate-motivated killings.
  • The case encompasses the May 31, 1989 Las Gardenias massacre in Tarapoto and further murders from 1990 to 1993 allegedly targeting LGBTI victims under a “social cleansing” plan.
  • Judge Lolo Fernando Valdez Pimentel accepted evidence of flight and obstruction risk presented by fiscal adjunto Rubén Anicama Medina.
  • The ruling keeps Polay confined at the Callao Naval Base, replaces his prior simple appearance measure, and blocks a release previously scheduled for January 3, 2026.
  • Prosecutors filed the indictment on November 24 seeking life imprisonment for Polay and co-accused María Cumpa, Peter Cárdenas, Alberto Gálvez, Lino Manrique, and Sístero García, while the defense rejects the claim that such attacks were MRTA policy.