Founder and leader of the PCP, Chairman Gonzalo (Manuel Rubén Abimael Guzmán), died at the age of 86 at 6:40 AM on September 11, 2021, after 29 years in prison (September 1992 – September 2021) at the Callao Naval Base Maximum-Security Prison.
Chairman Gonzalo’s death in prison exposed the true nature of the imperialist criminals and their local mercenaries.
Studying the history of the Peruvian revolution, from the beginning of the People’s War in this country under the leadership of Chairman Gonzalo to his arrest, torture, imprisonment, and finally, his death is a historical lesson to all of the communist revolutionaries (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) in the world whose achievements and shortcomings should be considered.
The PCP, led by chairman Gonzalo, launched the People’s War in Peru in 1980. Despite its defeats and victories, it was able to establish a revolutionary base in Peru and operate proletarian political power over large areas of Peru until 1988.
America’s world-devouring imperialism began its direct involvement in the Peruvian People’s War in 1990 under the pretext of the “war on drugs” and formally commissioned one of its military bases near Panama to guide the Peruvian counterinsurgency police and launch an intelligence and information warfare against the PCP by providing the information to the reactionary “Fujimori” regime.
As the result of such actions, Comrade Gonzalo was arrested on September 12th, 1992 at one of his hideouts in the capital of Peru, Lima, and a number of other PCP leaders were captured or killed. The reactionary Fujimori regime, On September 24, 1992, put chairman Gonzalo in a cage and exposed him in public and to the media of the world. chairman Gonzalo, from inside the hutch, addressed his inspirational message to all the communists of the world: “Do not despair because of my arrest, continue your revolutionary struggle, and the People’s War must continue for the benefit of the masses in Peru and in the service of the proletarian world revolution.”
Following the Peruvian regime public display of chairman Gonzalo in a cage, the RIM Committee in Defense of chairman Gonzalo’s life launched a global campaign entitled: “Move Heaven and Earth to Defend the Life of Chairman Gonzalo!”
that mobilized communist organizations and parties around the world, along with thousands of workers, peasants, revolutionaries, and artists from across the five continents.
Chairman Gonzalo was a full-fledged communist, indomitable against torture and imprisonment, the enemies of the proletariat and the peoples of the world.
The biggest service that the PCP, led by chairman Gonzalo, did internationally was to promote Maoism instead of Mao Zedong’s Thought. When the PCP, led by chairman Gonzalo, introduced Maoism instead of Mao Zedong Thought, the RCP, USA opposed the idea and calling it a deviant and Lin Biaoist, that is why a number of parties and organizations of Marxism Leninism and Mao Zedong thought refused to accept Maoism for a while. But the PCP stayed strong on its position of accepting Maoism and continued its struggle for its acceptance in the RIM.
Although Maoism was recognized by the RIM instead of Mao Zedong Thought, the leading role of the PCP and chairman Gonzalo can not be denied in this.
Another service performed by the PCP, under the leadership of Chairman Gonzalo, at the level of Latin American countries, was to prepare, organize, and advance the People’s War in Peru. However, before the establishment of the People’s War in Peru, the People’s War was waged and moved forward in the Philippines and India under the leadership of the Marxist-Leninist-Mao Zedong thought Parties, Nevertheless, the history of Peru witnessed that the PCP, led by Chairman Gonzalo, achieved remarkable victories to the extent that it applied Marxism-Leninism-Maoism in the specific condition of the Peruvian revolution and put it into practical creatively and by 1988, had made immense strides that could not be ignored by the massive sacrifices of the comrades of the PCP in the People’s War.
On the other hand, the PCP was on the path of profound ideological-political deviations. These include the remaining issue of “mainly Maoism”, then the idea of “Gonzalo thought” and subsequently the “mainly Gonzalo thought”. The C(M)PA fought against the perversions of the PCP and continues to do so at the level of the international communist movement.
The arrest, torture, and death of chairman Gonzalo as a revolutionary superman in the prison of the reactionary and authoritarian regime of Peru has been and will be a history lesson to all communist revolutionaries (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist). The Maoists of the world, and especially the PCP, must carefully study the revolutionary history of Peru, break away from its negative aspects and develop its positive, and seriously fight against any ideological-political deviations. It is the only way that can lead the People’s war to victory.
Long live Marxism-Leninism-Maoism
The memory of Chairman Gonzalo is eternal in the International-Communist Movement (MLM)
Death to imperialism
Win the People’s War around the world
Communist (Maoist) Party of Afghanistan
September 23, 2021
