Open Files. An exhaustive investigative report on the lives and works of Latin America's and the world's most controversial personalities. Today’s report recounts the career of Peruvian politician Alan García, who, fresh out of his university studies in Paris, achieved the backing of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) party in his bid for the presidency. He took office in 1985 with promises to bring true democracy and economic equality. At first he achieved some minor reforms but in 1986, the massacres committed by his government against prison rebellions organized by imprisoned Shining Path guerrillas led to his adoption of policies that favored the armed forces, paramilitary groups and death squads. At the same time, his refusal to pay the foreign debt and the nationalization of private banking led the country to economic disaster and rampant corruption. During Alberto Fujimori’s regime in the 1990s Alan García lived between Colombia and France most of the time, but was able to make a political comeback and won the Presidency again in 2006.The second time around he encouraged foreign investment, granted mining and oil exploration concessions on indigenous and forest lands, and concessions to foreign countries in 60% of the Amazon. Protesting indigenous people were ruthlessly attacked by police at Bagua, but due to indigenous resistance, many of those killed in the massacre were the police themselves. Alan García’s second term of office ended with corruption even worse than before due to almost total impunity of APRA party officials. teleSUR
