Being studious from a young age and enjoying mental challenges such as chess, Ramírez was awarded the medal of academic excellence from the College of Saint Francis of Assisi in Arequipa, Peru.
[3] He travelled to Colombia where he worked with members of FARC and under his leadership, Shining Path activities increased in south central region of Peru.
[1] In 1999, President Alberto Fujimori ordered a military operation in central Peru to capture Ramírez alive and eliminate the last remnants of Shining Path.
He went as far as declaring, before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission his renewed belief in democracy, his call for remaining subversives to lay down arms, his expectation for new civilian trials and his condolences for the victims of the conflict.
[7] Caretas has also published extracts from his conversations with the former head of the Peruvian National Intelligence Service, Vladimiro Montesinos in which family links with the terrorist emerged, both being cousins.