Peru’s former President, Alberto Fujimori, has been released from Barbadillo prison in Lima after serving 16 years of a 25-year sentence for human rights abuses during his rule in the 1990s. The country’s highest court reinstated a controversial 2017 pardon, citing humanitarian grounds, despite criticism from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and victims’ families.
Fujimori, 85, emerged from prison on Wednesday, greeted by supporters as he reunited with his children, Keiko and Kenji, before departing in a grey truck. Supporters argue that Fujimori played a crucial role in combating the Shining Path armed group and averting economic collapse, while critics accuse him of democratic abuses and atrocities during his anti-Shining Path efforts.
Convicted in 2009 for ordering the killing of 25 people in 1991 and 1992, Fujimori received a pardon in 2017 from former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a decision contested by lower courts due to pressure from the Inter-American Court and victims’ families. The recent constitutional court ruling reinstating the pardon cannot be appealed.
Despite his release, Fujimori faces legal challenges, having pleaded guilty to bribery and espionage during his presidency.
Additionally, he was investigated for the forced sterilization of hundreds of thousands of mostly Indigenous women during his final four years in power.
While a judge ruled in 2021 that Fujimori couldn’t be prosecuted at that time due to technical legal reasons, these issues continue to linger.
Fujimori, of Japanese heritage, led Peru from 1990 to 2000, experiencing impeachment in 2000 and subsequent exile to Japan, from where he fled to Chile.
Extradited in 2007, he has since dealt with health problems, including respiratory, neurological, and hypertension issues, as well as tongue cancer.
The complexities of his legacy continue to shape Peruvian opinions and legal proceedin
