01 Page 4- The Michigan Daily -Wednesday, April 11, 1990 .le Mitliganlailt EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 42() Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 A RTS NEWS OPINION 763 0379 764 0552 747 2814 PHOTO SPORTS WEEKEND 764 0552 747 3336 747 4630 Unsivned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, sigwd articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. Exxon's legacy NO W4'( TD '.1i/1 IT VOQL TL4 tokN V tAc} -c ENK1 u b4 4N> [8N CG>rPA Join in fight against human rights violations in Peru* Oil company must take IT HAS BEEN JUST OVER A YEAR since the Exxon Valdez hit a reef in Prince William Sound and released 11 million barrels of oil, making it the worst oil spill in history. The environ- mental effects of the spill were catas- trophic, as untold pumbers of birds, fish, and aquatic organisms were poi- soned. The acquittal of Joseph Hazel- wood, the captain of the Valdez, leaves no answers and no pathways for envi- ronmentalists to follow. Exxon has not fulfilled its obligation to clean up the spill, and as the mam- moth company goes to court this week to face criminal charges, this should be kept in mind. Hazelwood became a scapegoat for Exxon and initially, for environmentalists. He was dismissed from the company and was left to fend fo -imself in court. But the blame for thi:disaster goes much deeper than a responsibility for spill single person. It would have been easy to find Hazelwood guilty and close the case, but his acquittal keeps the Valdez legacy alive. Attention and pressure should now be put back on Exxon to resume clean- up efforts. The company should also fund a study that will examine oil spills and how to prevent them. Hazelwood, because of his innocence, should also be reinstated to his former position, although the stigma of his role in this controversy will not be eliminated., Although nothing can erase the environmental damage that has already occurred, the party responsible, Exxon Oil, can make a concerted effort to re- turn the affected areas to some degree of normalcy. Exxon, the real culprit, must be held responsible for the envi- ronmental damage the oil spill caused. -aA o r Q , sR c. !3 Qp ss D,!1 .I his Is D, , T .y°fZ' 1 t yi 601 i i i II I I By Anna Stubblefield Where is Codelia Torres Pizarro? This 16-year-old schoolgirl was detained by military authorities while shopping one afternoon in January, 1989. Although her sister and some shop assistants witnessed the arrest, the military denies her deten- tion. Codelia is one of more than 3,000 people who have "disappeared" in Peru over the last seven years. Their families cannot mourn for them, because they may still be alive. But each day it becomes more difficult for their spouses and chil- dren and parents to sustain hope. The term "disappeared" is used to de- scribe people who were arrested by gov- ernment officials and whose whereabouts are unknown. Their families travel from prison to prison, military base to military base asking for information, but the gov- ernment denies all knowledge of the arrest and detention. There is no legal recourse for the families of the disappeared. They can only return to their homes and wait. If they ask to many questions, they may also "disappear." In many cases, the bodies of the "disappeared" are found by dogs in shallow graves or river banks a few days after the arrest. In other cases, mass graves have been found. People who manage to return from detention report torture. Evaristo Palomino Fanola was seized by army per- sonnel outside his home in November 1987. He had recently returned to his peas- ant community after 20 years as an indus- trial worker in Lima. After his arrest, he was held for four days at an army base. His interrogates wanted to know the whereabouts of several people. When Fanola insisted that he did not know any of them, he was beaten, suspended by a rope attached to his arms behind his back and subjected to electric shocks. He was continuously threatened with death and mutilation: "We will cut off your ears, your tongue, your testicles." "Human rights" is an empty phrase in Peru today. In addition to the 3,000 citi- zens who have "disappeared" while in gov- Stubblefield is a member of Amnesty In- ternational-U of M. ernment custody, a comparable number have been murdered outright, in front of their families. The human rights crisis be- gan in December 1982 when the govern- ment of Peru introduced measures to com- bat the violent opposition group, Partido Comunista del Perd "Sendero Luminoso" (the Communist Party of Peru "Shining Path"). Nine adjoining provinces surround- ing Ayacucho department, where Shining Path is based, were placed under state of emergency military control. Currently, 56 of Peru's 181 provinces are under military control. These provinces are where most human rights violations are committed. The "strategy" of the Peru government is to fight Shining Path by imitating Shining Path. In order to increase its power base, Shining Path apparently moves into rural areas and surrounds the towns, isolating them. Then they round up the inhabitants, kill government offi- cials, landowners, and traders, and threaten to kill anyone who does not support Shin- ing Path. Age is no consideration: even 10-year-old children are reported to have been seized and "executed" as police in- formers. When Shining Path is through with its work, the government counter-insurgency battalions arrive. They smear blood on their faces during training to cultivate an image of ferocity. When they arrive to fight Shining Path, they wear black ski masks. They round up the villagers, per- haps taking them to the same building where Shining Path forces took them ear- lier. Anyone who the government suspects to be a Shining Path supporter is killed. Again, age is no consideration. In a report commissioned by the government of Peru, Sub-Lieutenant Telmo Hurtado asserted that even children were "dangerous" be- cause Shining Path begins indoctrination "from age two, three, four years old." The citizens of Peru describe them- selves as "caught between two fires." They no longer look to the government for pro- tection from the violence of Shining Path, because the government is just as likely to hurt them. We must help the people of Peru sur- vive this insanity. The government claims that it is acting under the decrees of a state of emergency. Yet Article 231 of the Con- stitution of Peru declares that in a state of emergency, the -rights suspended are the right to inviolability of the home, freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, and the right not to be detained without a war- rant issued by a court. Only these four rights can be suspended. The right to life, protection from cruel and unusual pun- ishment, and the right to fair and speedy trials cannot be suspended. The govern- ment of Peru is violating its own consti- tution. It is killing its own citizens. All of this is why Amnesty Interna- tional has chosen to focus a special "country campaign" on Peru. Amnesty In- ternational is a worldwide movement inde- pendent of any government, political per- suasion or religious creed. It plays a spe- cific role in the international protection of human rights: It seeks the release of prisoners of con- science. These are people detained for their beliefs, color, sex, ethnic origin, language or religion who have not used or advocated violence; It works for fair and prompt trials for all political prisoners; It opposes torture and execution in all cases. Amnesty International-U of M and Ann Arbor Group 61 are co-sponsoring a two- day event to focus attention on the human rights emergency in Peru. There will be a rally on the Diag today at noon. At 7:30 this evening, Ernesto Cavassa, a human rights worker from Peru, will speak in the Kuenzel Room of the Michigan Union. At 9, a candlelight vigil will be held on the Diag with music and poetry to honor the Peruvian victims. Two members of Amnesty Interna- tional-U of M will be locked in a mock jail cell on the Diag beginning at noon to- day. They will remain in "jail" until noon tomorrow, or for as long as it takes to col- lect 1,000 signatures on petitions to the government of Peru. Please take the opportunity to learn about Peru so you can educate others. Please sign our petitions so that you can help end the human rights state of emer- gency in Peru. 0 ID~k SEA , 0 c Sticking around this summer? Come write for the Daily Opinion Staff For more info call: Stephen Henderson at 764-0552 or come to the information meeting Wednesday, April 18, 7 pm Student Publications Building Commonly asked questions about a University code of non-academic conduct: What is a "code"? A4"code" is the generic term for a University policy which would regulate the non- academic behavior of students. The major characteristic of a code is that it allows the University to sanction students academically for their non-academic behavior. For example, this means the University would have the power to suspend an underage student for getting drunk at an off-campus party. Does the University have a coe now? No. But University President James Duderstadthas said he will begin working on one next fall Wy does the University want a code -:puderstadt and others in the administration claim they need 4.code to make sure the cainpus is safe for everyone. They argue that murderers, rapists and other criminals should nit be part of the University community. Though not part of the "administrative line," a code wuld also allow the University to suspend or even expel students for simply protesting University policy or committing a misdemeanor at a party. Why should students oppose a code? Students' non-academic, personal lives should remain just that - personal. The Univer- sit should not mandate what kind of behavior is acceptable outside the classroom. I Jniversity going to implement a code? inv-hepast, student opposition has helpedprevent the administration from adopting a code. nt l2stWeek President Duderstadt vowed to use his nresidential power to sanction students Sports topic is dead To the Daily: I don't think that it is fair for you to assert that the Detroit Pistons have di- rectly altered the existing face of the NBA salary structure (4/9/90). To do so by reference to William Bed- ford's new contract and the Konkak debacle is ludicrous and bad sportswriting. Huge sums of money rewarded to NBA players is nothing new. It's a dead topic. So Bedford's new contract is a rela- tively small dent in otherwise notable sports news - even the Detroit News noted how "quiet" the whole procedure was. In short, let's not make too big a deal here. Secondly, I agree that offering Konkak $2.5 million was pretty humorous, but you seem to forget the intent of the offer. Perhaps I'm being too kind. You might not have even thought of it. The Pistons wished to accomplish two things in their offer to Konkak: first, find a suitable replacement for Rick Mahorn, second, to hurt a division foe - Atlanta - in the process. among the league leaders in assists. And, by the way, your statement at the end referring to Dennis Rodman is a clas- sic example of "Piston-bashing." Con- gratulations on ending a terrible article in such a classy fashion. Nelson Peralta LSA junior Fundraiser is a success To the Daily: I'd like to thank the University com- munity for the generous support for Stu- dents Against Driving Drunk (SADD) you demonstrated last week at the University of Michigan SADD Musicmobile Fundraiser on the Diag held in conjunction with Greek Week. We raised $1,170 for SADD. Alcohol-related crashes are the leading cause of death for the college-aged popula- tion. We say crashes instead of accidents because these are preventable violent deaths. Over 100 Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity members contributed their time - along with members from Panhellenic, Inter-Fraternity Council and Substance garding the use of alcohol. Teresa Herzog Rape story is biased To the Daily: This is in response to the front page ar- ticle concerning the woman who was raped near the Ann Arbor Public Library (4/9/90). Granted the article made the front page, but we feel the Daily gave a biased account of the incident. While reading the article, the implica- tion was made that because the woman was walking alone, the rape was deserved. Much of the descriptions led to the con- clusion that it was the woman's responsi- bility to avoid being raped. The focus should not be on whether the woman was walking alone, but on the rapist's behavior. The question of whether the rapist had a gun is irrelevant, the sur- vivor of the rape believed he did, and re- sponded to that. By qualifying the type of description the woman gave as "vague," the Daily questions the authenticity of the 1