Peru's Shining Path terrorist group founder faces retrial

An anti-terrorism court on Monday started the retrial of Abimael Guzman, the imprisoned Shining Path leader whose messianic communist vision inspired a rebellion that left almost 70,000 people dead.

A secret military tribunal sentenced Guzman, known to his followers as President Gonzalo, to life in prison soon after his capture in 1992, but Peru's top court ruled the trial unconstitutional two years ago.

A retrial last year ended in a chaotic mistrial after Guzman and his supporters chanted communist slogans and two of three judges stepped down, the AP reports.

The trial reunites Guzman with nearly a dozen of his top commanders, including his longtime jail mate, lover and second-in-command, Elena Iparraguirre, and several midlevel guerrillas accused of carrying out car bombings and killings in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Fajardo said Guzman "is aware" he will receive the same life sentence meted out in 1992 by a secret military justice system that was later deemed unconstitutional by Peru's highest court.

"He would like the trial to end quickly," Fajardo said. "Abimael Guzman, in particular, doesn't like to waste time." A secret military tribunal sentenced Guzman, known to his followers as President Gonzalo, to life in prison soon after his capture in 1992, but Peru's top court ruled the trial unconstitutional two years ago.

A retrial last year ended in a chaotic mistrial after Guzman and his supporters chanted communist slogans and two of three judges stepped down, the AP reports.

The trial reunites Guzman with nearly a dozen of his top commanders, including his longtime jail mate, lover and second-in-command, Elena Iparraguirre, and several midlevel guerrillas accused of carrying out car bombings and killings in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Fajardo said Guzman "is aware" he will receive the same life sentence meted out in 1992 by a secret military justice system that was later deemed unconstitutional by Peru's highest court.

"He would like the trial to end quickly," Fajardo said. "Abimael Guzman, in particular, doesn't like to waste time."