mother and sisters had been given the benefit of the
doubt. The author, however, has himself been active
for Sendero Luminoso, an organization to which
article 1 F. of the 1951 Convention relating to the
Status of Refugees applies. In this context, the State
party explains that it was not the membership of
Sendero Luminoso that was decisive but the author’s
own statements according to which he had handed
out home-made bombs in November 1989, which
were actually used against the police. According to
the State party, there was no reason why the author
should be allowed to stay in the country and there
were no obstacles to the enforcement of the
expulsion order.
13.2 As regards the author’s passport, counsel
states that it was issued by the Dirección de
Migraciones in Lima and that the author’s friend did
all the work for him. Counsel explains that, at the
time, everybody could obtain a legal passport
without a problem. One could also use tramitadores,
who would apply for passports in the name of others
for a fixed fee. Counsel refers to a letter from
Amnesty International, Swedish section, of 10 May
1995, addressed to the Swedish Government, which
stated that the fact that a Peruvian asylum-seeker has
left the country legally with a passport should not be
considered very important when considering his case.
13.3 The author left the country on 24 June 1990
by plane (Aeroflot). Friends bribed a person at the
airport, and for protection the author was
accompanied by a member of parliament (of the
Unión de Izquierda Revolucionaria) and former
member of the Comisión de Justicia y Derechos
Humanos in Peru.
12.4 The State party reiterates that there is no
indication that the authorities attempted to prevent
the author from leaving Peru, which supports the
State party’s view that he is of no interest to the
Peruvian police. The State party submits that it has
requested its embassy in Lima to investigate the
matter and that the embassy, on 14 August 1996,
reported that the author has not been and is not
wanted by the police for terrorist or similar acts in
Peru.
13.4 Counsel maintains that the author would be in
danger if returned to Peru. She bases this on the fact
that two of his cousins have been victims of severe
persecutions. In this context, counsel recalls that one
of the author’s cousins disappeared and another was
killed. Since he belongs to a politically active family,
the author has every reason to fear for his security if
he were to return to Peru.
12.5 The State party further questions the author’s
trustworthiness, since he has not been able to
mention his cell leader’s name or the name of the
friend who informed him that he was wanted by the
police.
13.5 Counsel adds that the author’s fears have
grown because of newspaper articles in Peru about
the case of his brother which is before the European
Commission of Human Rights, in which it is
mentioned that his brother is a member of Sendero
Luminoso.
12.6 The State party maintains that the author has
not substantiated his assertion that an enforcement of
the expulsion order to Peru would violate article 3 of
the Convention. In this context, the State party
observes that it is a general principle that the burden
of proof lies with the person submitting a claim.
13.6 In a further submission of 24 October 1996,
counsel refers to a publication by Human Rights
Watch/Helsinki of September 1996, entitled
“Swedish asylum policy in a global human rights
perspective”. In the publication, criticism is
expressed about Swedish policy towards Peruvian
asylum-seekers. According to Human Rights Watch,
reforms in Peru have been minimal, travel
documents can be easily obtained by bribing
officials and faceless courts continue to prosecute
civilians.
Observations by counsel
13.1 By submission of 16 September 1996, counsel
explains that on 1 November 1990, when the
author’s home was searched, his mother and his
brother were present. At 7 p.m., the door was banged
on by two men in civilian clothes who asked for the
author. When they were told that he was not at home,
they searched his room and took books and other
documents with them. During the search, a car
without registration plates was parked outside the
house, occupied by two armed men. When the men
left, they told the author’s mother to tell him to
present himself the following day at DIRCOTE, the
anti-terrorist police force, as they wanted to question
him about his university friends. They added that if
he did not appear, things would be worse for him.
After the police left, the author’s brother went to see
the author’s friends and asked them to tell him not to
return home. Counsel adds that the police did not
come again to the house to look for the author.
13.7 According to counsel, the Human Rights
Watch/Helsinki reports show how badly informed
the Swedish authorities are about the situation in
Peru. She refers to three cases of refoulement which
suggest, according to counsel, that the primary aim
of the Swedish policy is to limit immigration.
13.8 As regards the State party’s claim that the
author would not be in danger of being tortured upon
his return to Peru, counsel notes that the State party
bases itself on unrevealed sources. Counsel argues
that the State party’s mere reference to a non-
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