The Peru constitutional court moved Wednesday to affirm a 2017 pardon granting the release of ex-President Alberto Fujimori, brushing aside an Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) ruling that required the release of Fujiimoro to be blocked.
Fujimori was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to the maximum term of 25 years for various war crimes and corruption during his presidency in Peru (1990-2000). Francisco Morales Saravia, the president of Peru’s judicial body, emphasised that the rulings of the Constitutional Court must be followed and complied with, analogous to the resolutions of the Supreme Court.
The affirmation by the Constitutional Court marks the latest milestone in a long series of legal exchanges about the controversial pardon of Fujimori by ex-president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in 2017. This pardon, which was issued on humanitarian grounds, came at a time when Kuczynski was seeking support from the Popular Force Party, led back then by Fujimori’s daughter, Keiko Fujimori. This was in the midst of Kuczynski’s engulfment in an impeachment and corruption scandal, which led to his ultimate resignation.
In the aftermath of the pardon, widespread public uproar ensued, and the IACHR issued an outcry. In light of this, the Peruvian Supreme Court annulled the pardon in 2018, and Fujimori was returned to jail shortly afterward. Despite an appeal reversing the annulment, Fujimori has remained in custody due to deference to the IACHR ruling.
Senetenced in 2009 for his role in multiple early 1990s massacres and for embezzlement of public funds, Fujimori also has a pending case against him for mass sterilizations of indigenous women during his rule. Notwithstanding the wide-ranging condemnation from international human rights groups, Fujimori still maintains a significant base of support in Peru. Supporters highly appraise his economic policies and triumphant war against the guerilla group, Shining Path. Carlos Rivera, a lawyer representing victims’ relatives from the massacres ordered by Fujimori, stated that the IACHR would be petitioned for a “new process of compliance monitoring” if the ex-president gets released.