World Notes Peru

Once it became known that Peruvian troops had slaughtered more than 100 inmates at Lurigancho prison near Lima last month after a rebellion, President Alan Garcia Perez vowed that the killers would be punished. A civilian court took Garcia at his word last week and ordered the arrest of General Jorge Rabanal, 52, commander of the army's 18th armored division, who directed the June 19 military assault at the Lurigancho facility.

The court's action was the first step in bringing Rabanal to trial for the murders of the prisoners, who were mostly supporters of the Maoist-oriented Shining Path guerrilla organization. By week's end, however, the general had not been arrested. And if he does stand trial, he may insist on being judged before a military tribunal.