The Commission of Truth and Reconciliation, formed in June 2001 by the interim president Valentín Paniagua, in its final report included this chapter on the disappearance of the 9 students and the teacher of the National University of Education Enrique Guzmán y Valle “La Cantuta”.

We thought it was important to record some footage of the previous interview to highlight some aspects that could be left out.

The website lamula.pe interviewed the director of the documentary, Amanda Gonzales, and the researcher’s book, Edmundo Cruz, to tell what it is about the project.

“The mouth of the devil” is a lonely place on the outskirts of Lima. Sordid tales are told but none like the elimination of a professor and nine students from La Cantuta University in July 1992. The author: a death squad organized clandestinely by the regime of Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000).

The crime was perpetrated without much resonance 17 years ago and could have gone unpunished. But because of the relativies of the victims defending the right to life other people continue fighting: independent media, civil society, honest judges, including protesters armed forces.

The truth appeared and finally the power structure that covered up the crime could not escape justice: Its leader, the ex President Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

The population quietly approved the decision in a transparent trial. However, a significant portion has expressed his disappointment: 59 per cent when issuing the verdict (April 7, 2009) and a 40 percent upon ratification (January 2, 2010).

The case of La Cantuta has left a profound imprint on the soul of Peru. The book and documentary project “La Cantuta in the devil´s mouth” tries to salvage the essential elements of this unique experience.

On Thursday, 8 July 1993 it was made public the discovery of the graves where the bodies of the missing students at the University of La Cantuta lay. On Monday 12, the magazine “Sí” publish its first report of the most emblematic cases of investigative journalism in Peru. This report contained the map indicating where the corpses had been hidden.

“The Cantuta in the devil’s mouth”, the documentary directed by Tilsa Amanda Gonzales and produced by TV Cultura, addresses one of the atrocities committed by state apparatus, through the Colina Group, during the dictatorship of Alberto Fujimori. The project focuses on the testimony of Edmundo Cruz, a key event in the story of La Cantuta, as part of the team of the magazine “Sí” he researched and published on the killings between 1991 and 1993. The researches provided strong evidence that subsequently have been critical for 25-year sentence to ex-President Fujimori for violation of Human Rights. We will release the old man remembering the experience from the research, the approach to the sources, the exploration of the scene, and reflect on the dangerous profession and vocation of confronting the powerful people.