from John Edmunds
On Thursday "The British Committee for Solidarity with the Victims of Repression in Peru", received the text of a cable from Lima to say that the Trial of Hugo Blanco, the Peruvian peasant leader, had started. After three years of imprisonment in the El Fronton jail, he now faced the death penalty. It was decided that we would take immediate action together with similar groups in Europe and in America, The Paris Committee, sponsored by Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre and others, held a vigil outside the Paris Peruvian Embassy, On Saturday morning, twenty or so supporters, carrying FREE HUGO BLANCO banners, of many types, and representing many groups, marched backwards and forwards across the front of the Embassy. Curious faces were seen peeping out and the police soon arrived, whilst police vans cruised around keeping an eye on use Ina short time, most of us were engaged in explaining to the wealthy Knightsbridge citizens the facts of the case, where Peru was, who Hugo Blanco was and the brutality of the death sentence particularly for political leaders whose ideas are often no more demanding than those of Lord Attlee's and others of our milder Socialist leaders, a few decades ago, We met with a totally unexpected amount of good will! A deputation handed in a petition, asking for Hugo Blanco's release, and was loudly cheered. It may be decided to increase the scope of our Committee to include support for all fighters against feudal conditions in Latin America, As Latin America is extremely sensitive to public opinion from Europe we ask readers, who are sympathetic to our cause to write to :
President Belaunde Terry, Lima, Peru demanding clemency for Hugo Blanco,
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