Posted by David Kopel:
Peruvian village militia bleg:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_04_12-2009_04_18.shtml#1239907006
One tactic of the Peruvian government, in its war against the Maoist
terrorist organization that called itself "El Sendero Luminoso" (The
Shining Path), was to supply arms to village militias which had
already formed spontaneously. These village militias were known as
"Rondas."
Sometimes Rondas created their own parallel judicial system, outside
the formal legal system. Yet their community defense was very
consistent with the Peruvian Constitution, which declares that the
protection of the human person (a term from Catholic thought) is the
supreme objective of the state, and that every person has the right to
legitimate defense:
art. 1: �La defensa de la persona humana y el respeto de su
dignidad son el fin supremo de la sociedad y del Estado.� art 2:
�Toda persona tiene derecho:��§ 23. A la leg�tima defensa.�
However, the Rondas were also charged with human rights violations.
A similar policy is currently being implemented in southern Thailand,
where the government has been supplying defensive arms to village
militias for protection from Islamic terrorists. (The Thai situation
is discussed at page 17 of my forthcoming article in the Connecticut
Law Review, "[1]Pretend 'Gun-Free' School Zones: A Deadly Legal
Fiction."
I would like to learn more about Rondas. Well-informed commenters are
invited to recommend sources in either English or Spanish.
References
1. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1369783
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