Pacifico Castrellon Returns Home

June 18, 2010
By hi.di.

Pacifico Castrellon returned home to Panama today after serving a 15-year sentence for terrorism in Peru.

In 1996, Castrellon, a Panamanian painter, was convicted of collaborating with the Marxist Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement’s 1995 thwarted attack on the Peruvian Congress.  The plan was allegedly for the MRTA to invade the Congress building, kidnap the legislators and exchange the hostages for MRTA prisoners.

Castrellon served 11 years and six months in the Miguel Castro Castro prison, located 45 minutes from Lima, and three more years of conditional freedom.

He arrived to Peru with United States citizen Lori Berenson in 1994 who was also convicted for her role in the plotting.  Berenson, now 40, was paroled in May of this year after serving 15 years of her 20-year sentence.  She is hoping to commute the remaining 5 years to the United States, the Associated Press reports.

Walking out of Tocumen airport, Castrellon told reports that he is leaving that chapter of his life behind.

Pacifico Castrellon