Abimael Guzmán

Manuel Rubén Abimael Guzmán Reinoso ( Latin American Spanish: [maˈnwel ruˈβ̞en aβ̞imaˈel ɣ̞uzˈman rejˈnoso]; 3 December 1934 − 11 September 2021), also known by his nom de guerre Chairman Gonzalo (Spanish: Presidente Gonzalo; [pɾesiˌð̞ente ɣ̞onˈsalo]), was a Peruvian Maoist revolutionary and guerrilla leader. He founded the organization Communist Party of Peru – Shining Path (PCP-SL) in 1969 and led a rebellion against the Peruvian government until his capture by authorities on 12 September 1992. He was then sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism and treason.

Guzmán joined the Communist Party when he was about 20 years old. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was a professor of philosophy active in far-left politics strongly influenced by Marxism, Leninism, and Maoism. He developed an ideology of armed struggle stressing the empowerment of the Indigenous people. He went underground in the mid-1960s to become the leader of the Shining Path, which began "The People's War" or the "Armed Struggle" on 17 May 1980.