The journalist Pedro Yauri advocated the liberty of the Ventocilla family after four members of that family were kidnapped by military elements on May 25, 2992. One month later, on June 24, the journalist disappeared after being detained by a group of men wearing uniforms, that today we know were part of the so-called Grupo Colina.

The acts:
Pedro Yauri Bustamante was in charge of the program called "Punto Final" on Radio Universal, in the city of Huacho. He was part of the School of Sociology of the University of Huacho. He was married to Mrs. Liliana Coca and had three daughters.

On his radio program he accused several people of abuses committed by the authorities against the local population, in particular arbitrary detentions that, under the pretext of combating subversion, the military had carried out.

One of the cases denounced on his program was that of Rafael Ventocilla Rojas and his sons, Alejandro, Agripino and Simón Ventocilla Castillo, who were detained and tortured in the Atahuampa military base to the north of Huaura on May 25, 1992.
At this time, Yauri presented himself before the Human Rights Commission of Huacho and together with representatives of that organization went to the military installation and obtained the release of the Ventocillas.

In the early morning house of June 24, 1992, a group of six or seven men, the majority of whom were dressed in the clothes of commandos and identified themselves as members of the National Counter-Terrorism Directorate (the counter-terrorism division of the Technical Police and the National Police of Peru), entered the "Casino Huacho" a local social club located at Sáenz Peña Number 261, Huacho. After threatening the security guards with firearms, they began to search through the area. They later went to the roof of the adjoining house, where Yauri Bustamante lived with his family.

At 2:00 a.m., six of those who had entered the club violently entered the house of the journalist, situated at  Sáenz Peña Number 279, district y province de Huacho, department of Lima. The uniformed men Los uniformados held down Mr. Anastacio Yauri Leandro, father of the victim, and proceded to cover his head while simultaniously beating him with their guns. At the same time, Pedro Yauri Bustamante was tied up, blindfolded, and driven by a cherry-colored double-cabbed Nissan truck in which the police had arrived and parked in front of the club. Then, the truck left to an unknown destination.

That same day, also in the early morning hours, six members of the Ventocilla family were kidnapped a few kilometers to the north of Huacho. Their bodies were found the next day showing signs of torture, cuts, and gunshot wounds. On the other hand, Pedro Yauri was never found.

According to the witnesses of the kidnapping, five of the men who entered the house of the victim were wearing uniforms, berets, and green coats. The other was wearing civilian clothes and a ski mask. All of them were tall, burly, and armed with machineguns.
Revelations later made by the former members of the Colina death squad have permitted one to establish that the captors of the journalists were members of this sinister organization. 
The family of the journalist presented an accusation before the police and the prosecutor. However, a judicial investigation was never made. Today, the case is bundled with the La Canuta, Barrios Altos, and Santa cases in the open trial against Grupo Colina.

Área de Comunicación
APRODEH
prensa@aprodeh.org.pe