Abimael Guzmán: Congress approves an opinion that allows his cremation

They debate in Peru whether to incinerate the body of Abimael Guzmán 0:45

(CNN Spanish) -

After days of debate in Peru about what should be the fate of the remains of Abimael Guzmán, founder of the Shining Path, Congress approved an opinion that allows his cremation.

With 70 votes in favor, 32 against and 14 abstentions, the plenary session of the Peruvian Congress approved a provision that allows the cremation of the remains of inmates convicted of terrorism, which will allow the cremation of Guzmán's remains.

Congressmen from the ruling Peru Libre party voted against the measure.

This Monday, two days after Guzmán's death, spokesmen for congressional parliamentary groups had published a statement in which they expressed that Guzmán's body "must be cremated" and not generate spaces for "acts of vindication of the leader".

The government of President Pedro Castillo, for its part, had indicated on Twitter that they respect the law and the independence of powers, and that it was not up to them to make the decision on "the final disposition of the body of terrorist Abimael Guzmán, since it is competence of the Public Ministry ".

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What to say about the death of Abimael Guzmán in Peru?

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Guzmán died on Saturday, September 11, in a maximum security detention center due to "complications in his state of health," the National Penitentiary Institute reported in a statement.

Guzmán, alias "Comrade Gonzalo" and who was in years the most wanted man in Peru, was arrested in 1992 and was serving a life sentence for the crime of terrorism.

He was also convicted of illicit drug trafficking.

Shining Path was responsible for more than 30,000 deaths in Peru between 1980 and 2000, according to the report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

One of the most remembered terrorist attacks attributed to the Shining Path occurred in 1992 when two car bombs exploded in Lima, leaving 25 dead.