Peru: Ex-President and Dictator Alberto Fujimori Released From Prison on 'Humanitarian Grounds'

A dictator imprisoned for crimes against humanity has now been released on "humanitarian grounds" as the former president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, is finally tasting freedom once again.

The former Peru president served 10 years in office as the most powerful man in Peru, dissolving Congress to stay in power longer and ordering the killings of many. He was released last Wednesday, soon after the country's Constitutional Court ordered him to be released.

Reuters reported that the former Peru president was seen leaving the infamous Barbadillo Prison, where all the other imprisoned former presidents are located, including Pedro Castillo and Alejandro Toledo. Local news followed the car he was riding soon after his release.

Fujimori was initially released thanks to a controversial pardon by then-President Pablo Kuczynsk on "humanitarian grounds" as the former dictator's health had been deteriorating. However, this was soon annulled thanks to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which campaigned strongly against his release.

The former Peruvian leader served from 1990-2000, a decade-long rule filled with controversies that have had lasting effects on his country. However, he was imprisoned several years after fleeing Peru and was found guilty of corruption and crimes against humanity in 2009. He was supposed to serve 25 years in prison for his crimes, but that has now been cut short.

Alberto Fujimori's Crimes Resurface After Release Was Ordered by Peru's Constitutional Court

While supporters celebrated the former dictator's release, those whose lives were affected by his regime lamented as the man who was found guilty of Crimes Against Humanity was ironically released on humanitarian grounds.

The crime he was actually found guilty of was the killings of 25 Peruvians by death squads during the early 1990s as Peru was dealing with a brutal and inhumane communist rebellion from a group known as the Shining Path. While the rebels themselves were also guilty of killing civilians, a court found that Fujimori's actions resulted in the wrongful deaths of civilians as well.

Gisela Ortiz, sister of one of the victims of Fujimori's regime, spoke with the Associated Press. "We live in an orphanhood because we do not have institutions of any kind capable of defending us," she told the outlet. "Peru gives the image of a country where the rights of victims are not guaranteed and where human rights issues have no importance."

Inter-American Court of Human Rights Tried To Ask Peru To Stop Alberto Fujimori Release

Much like what it did the last time Peru tried to free its former dictator, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights tried to make the country delay Fujimori's release. It warned that the country "risks being ranked alongside authoritarian states like Venezuela and Nicaragua" as it ignores international law by freeing the former dictator.

According to The Guardian, the court asked the Peruvian Constitutional Court to "refrain from executing the order" as the country is a signatory, and the international court has repeatedly warned Peru not to free him.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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