Rodrigo Franco Command
Encyclopedia
The Rodrigo Franco Command was a paramilitary
organization that acted as a death squad
in Peru
from 1985 to 1990. The group was closely aligned with the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance
(APRA), which governed Peru under Alan García during the years of the Rodrigo Franco Command's existence. The group took its name from Rodrigo Franco Montes, a member of the APRA who was assassinated by Shining Path
militants.
According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
, the group committed various human rights
violations, including the murder of a human rights lawyer, the murder of a member of the Communist Party of Peru (Red Fatherland), the murder of a member of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement
, and the placement of a car bomb
in front of a newspaper's headquarters.
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
organization that acted as a death squad
Death squad
A death squad is an armed military, police, insurgent, or terrorist squad that conducts extrajudicial killings, assassinations, and forced disappearances of persons as part of a war, insurgency or terror campaign...
in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
from 1985 to 1990. The group was closely aligned with the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance
American Popular Revolutionary Alliance
The Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana is a centre-left Peruvian political party.At the legislative elections held on 9 April 2006, the party won 22.6% of the popular vote and 36 out of 120 seats in the Congress of the Republic...
(APRA), which governed Peru under Alan García during the years of the Rodrigo Franco Command's existence. The group took its name from Rodrigo Franco Montes, a member of the APRA who was assassinated by Shining Path
Shining Path
Shining Path is a Maoist guerrilla terrorist organization in Peru. The group never refers to itself as "Shining Path", and as several other Peruvian groups, prefers to be called the "Communist Party of Peru" or "PCP-SL" in short...
militants.
According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Peru)
The Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 2001 after the fall of president Alberto Fujimori, to examine abuses committed during the 1980s and 1990s, when Peru was plagued by the worst political violence in the history of the republic...
, the group committed various human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
violations, including the murder of a human rights lawyer, the murder of a member of the Communist Party of Peru (Red Fatherland), the murder of a member of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement
Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement
The Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement was a Marxist revolutionary group active in Peru from the early 1980s to 1997 and one of the main actors in the internal conflict in Peru...
, and the placement of a car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
in front of a newspaper's headquarters.