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Photos Reveal 'Amazon Tiananmen'
Photos from Peru add weight to claims government covered up massacre
By Rob Quinn
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Posted Jun 19, 09 2:39 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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Graphic photographs taken by aid workers reveal the extent of violence Peru's military used to crush a land-rights protest by indigenous people earlier this month, the Independent reports. Police are seen pulling injured protesters from ambulances and beating them and bodies are seen piled by the roadside, adding weight to accusations that the government has covered up the true death toll.
Human rights groups say the death toll is much higher than the 32 claimed by the Peruvian government, and that hundreds of people are still missing. International observers were prevented from visiting the Amazon region for weeks after the incident. "There needs to be an independent investigation to establish exactly what happened," said a spokesman for a human rights group.