Antonio Coasaca Mamani Freed After Video Showed Weapon Planted By Peruvian Police

An agriculture worker and protester in the District of Chiguata in Perú is freed after a video showed that a federal police officer picks up a sharp metal object known as "Miguelito" and placed it on the victim's hand to frame him. So that a photographer can take a photo and it was later posted on El Correo Daily Newspaper website.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 26, 2015

Hacienda Pampa Blanca, Arequipa, Perú - The El Correo Daily newspaper in Arequipa is now facing criticism after it posted a photo showing Antonio Coasaca Mamani, 46, holding a sharp metal pointed object known as "Miguelito" while a Federal Special Police officer "FILOSOFE XXX" from the Policía Nacional de Perú forces him to hold the metal object. The unknown photographer's picture was then posted the next day, April 23, 2015 in the Correo's website with the headline, "La otra cara de la moneda: así atacaron a los antimineros."

A protest by agriculture workers took place on April 22 at the Valle de Tambo in Chiguata in the province of Islay.

The false news headline and photo caption was later removed when a video surfaced showing that the unidentified Peruvian federal officer picked up the sharp metal object from the ground and placed it on Mamani's hand as the photographer saw it happened and then takes a photo. A video capturing the deception was released by Mollendinostv and then it went viral.

When El Correo was confronted about the false photo caption report, it removed the photo from its website.

Mamani was facing 4 years in prison, if he would have been convicted of the false charges. He has since been released and the Peruvian federal officer and the photographer have not been charged for corruption and making a false charge.

El Correo Newspaper is now saying, that the editorial staff made a mistake and posted the wrong information on the photo. They don't know who took the photo of Mamani. The Correo says, that the photographer doesn't work for them and that they have requested for the federal government to investigate the incident.
The photographer who took Mamani's photo was identified as Julio Ángulo Delgado who works for El Comercio. 

Why did the Correo publish a photo, if it didn't have the correct information? El Correo editor, Carlos Marcelo Rodriguez Rivera handled the Mamani photo and caption. The photo of Mamani was send to Rivera by the Comité Pro Desarrollo de la Provincia de Islay.

Peruvian authorities confirmed that Police Special Forces Colonel Walter Meza Ayala has been removed from command, including a general and two other colonels. The federal officer who planted the object on Mamani has been identified and weapons of a group of officers have been confiscated to do ballistic tests to find out who fired the fatal shot that killed Victoriano Guayana Niña, an agriculture worker and land owner during the protest.

Agriculture workers protest and strike against the Tía María Southern Copper mine project has halted operations for the last 35 days.

General Clever Vidal of the Peruvian Federal Special Police forces and three colonels, Ricardo Talavera Fuentes in the region of Mollendo replaced Col. Meza Ayala, Hector Holguin in the region of El Fiscal and Amador Bacaya Guadalupe in the region of Pampa Blanca in the province of Islay have replaced the former commanders after the revelations of abuse and murder of agriculture workers have been denounced by agriculture protesters.

Video where Peruvian federal police Officer FILOSOFE XXX planted weapon on Antonio Coasaca Mamani: https://youtu.be/bGboIqrI0mI

Radio interview with Antonio Coasaca Mamani: http://alturl.com/7x5kr

The photographer that took Antonio Coasaca Mamani's photo when he was framed by a federal police officer was identified as Julio Ángulo Delgado who works for El Comercio in Peru. Ángulo Delgado was the personal photographer for Yamila Osorio Delgado, the regional President of Arequipa when she took office. She supports the Tía María Southern Copper mine project and is against the agricultural workers interests.