Peru's ex-President Fujimori back at large
The former Peruvian president is imprisoned for crimes against humanity. His successor issues a pardon for Alberto Fujimori, but cancels it after massive protests from the population. Ultimately, the Constitutional Court decides - but not until many years later.
Following an order by the Constitutional Court, former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who was sentenced to many years in prison, has been released from prison early. According to a report, the 85-year-old left the Barbadillo prison in the east of the capital Lima in a gray van, where he had been serving a sentence for crimes against humanity since 2009.
Fujimori was welcomed by his daughter Keiko and his son Kenji, who had both repeatedly called for their father's release. "Our hearts are overflowing with joy because this man has been unjustly imprisoned," said a Fujimori supporter who had been waiting outside the prison.
A few days ago, the Constitutional Court reinstated a pardon for Fujimori, which the then Peruvian President Pablo Kuczynski had issued in 2017 - but which was revoked in 2018 following massive protests.
Fujimori had ruled Peru with a heavy hand from 1990 to 2000 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes against humanity in 2007. Among other things, this involved massacres committed by death squads in the early 1990s in the fight against the guerrilla organization Shining Path.
The former president repeatedly suffers from breathing difficulties and neurological problems as well as high blood pressure. He has already been transferred from prison to hospital several times.
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After the Constitutional Court's decision, former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a sentence in Peru for crimes against humanity, was freed from prison. Despite being ex-President of Peru, Fujimori still has significant support within the country, as evidenced by the celebration upon his release.
Source: www.ntv.de
