Peru's Top Court Approves Ex-Pres. Alberto Fujimori's Release; President Pedro Castillo 'Angry' Over Court's Decision

Peru's constitutional court on Thursday approved the release of former President Alberto Fujimori, who has a jail time of until 2032 over charges related to human rights violations.

According to Associated Press, the decision from the court restored a humanitarian pardon granted by President Pablo Kuczynski on Christmas eve of 2017.

It can be recalled that the pardon was given to Fujimori because he suffered a heart condition worsened by his stay in prison. However, the Constitutional Tribunal overturned the decision, contending that the decision was "irregular," per Al Jazeera.

The new ruling released on Thursday reinstates the pardon, with a 4-3 vote. Al Jazeera reported that the newly-appointed judges in recent years are seen to be more sympathetic to Fujimori.

According to DW, the six-judge panel split them in half, with three in favor and three opposed, but the vote of the court president made the ruling decisive.

"It was a very open, very intense decision with two radically different positions," one of the six supreme court judges, Eloy Espinosa, said in an interview. He voted against the release of the former president.

The court did not specify the exact date and time of Fujimori's release. However, the ex-president's lawyer, Cesar Nakazaki, said that Fujimori might be released from jail until Monday or Tuesday after some legal procedures are completed, per AP.

President Pedro Castillo on Alberto Fujimori's Release

The court's decision reportedly triggered an "angry reaction" from Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, a political rival of Fujimori, according to Al Jazeera.

In a statement, Castillo said that the ruling from Peru's top court reflects the country's "institutional crisis," per DW.

President Castillo also called on international courts to "protect the effective practice of justice," as the ruling the court vested cannot be appealed in Peru.

Peru is a member of the Costa Rica-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Meanwhile, Peruvian Prime Minister Anibal Torres said that the ruling of the court must be obeyed. However, the official criticized the court, saying that it became "a champion of impunity for major criminals," per AP.

"I have said in the past that this [court] should disappear, it is very negative for the country... This organism has been doing a lot of damage to the country like in this concrete case," Torres pointed out.

It can be recalled that Castilo said during his campaign that he would abolish the Constitutional Tribunal, which is a court separate from the executive branch of Peru. However, Castillo remained mum on the issue, Al Jazeera stressed.

Later on Thursday, left-wing groups were also calling for protests following the decision of the court to free Fujimori.

Peru's Former President Alberto Fujimori

Fujimori served as Peru's president from 1990 to 2000. According to DW, he was imprisoned for the two massacres committed by the army deaths squad in 1991 and 1992. During that time, 25 people were reportedly killed, including a child.

During Fujimori's term, Peru was ravaged by guerilla violence and inflation. He was credited for rebuilding the economy through mass privatizations of state industries, Associated Press reported.

Alberto Fujimori then resigned in 2000 after starting his third term due to a series of publicized videos showing that his spy chief bribed politicians in cash. Upon leaving office, Fujimori fled to Japan, but he was convicted in absentia and was extradited to Peru in 2007.

In 2017, Alberto Fujimori was released from prison. He was jailed again after a few months after his pardon was overturned.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

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