Fire in the Andes

The Shining Path guerrilla group in Peru is a secretive and brutal organization. For several years they have been locked in a war with the Peruvian army, whose own policies towards the local inhabitants of the Andean region around Ayacucho have been widely criticized by human rights organizations. In fact, over 5000 civilians have either died or “disappeared” in the course of this largely unseen and mysterious war.One case did come to the world’s attention – 2 years ago 8 Peruvian journalist were found murdered in a remote mountain village. The government claimed the villagers did the crime, thinking the journalists were in fact guerrillas. Opposition political group claimed military involvement in the crime.FIRE IN THE ANDES is a investigation into this region of Peru and the human rights situation of the country, through a recounting of the stories of the 8 journalists (and the trial of peasants accused of the crime) – 8 men who set out to find the truth about the war in their country, and instead became its victims.