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Peru's Interior Ministry has reported that four people have been detained after taking part in Thursday's nationwide "Fujimori Never Again" march, which included the participation of human rights activists, students, artists, politicians and victims' families.
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On Dec. 24, current President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, known as PPK, granted former dictator Alberto Fujimori a "humanitarian" pardon. Fujimori was serving a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity. The pardon sparked national and international outcry.
UN officials described the pardon as "a slap in the face for the victims and witnesses whose tireless commitment brought him to justice."
Local anger over the pardon has been directed towards PPK, whom many believe reached a political deal with "Fujimorista" forces in Congress to save himself from impeachment. The first attempt to reach the president's residence was Monday, a day after the pardon was announced.
On Thursday, protesters burned an effigy of PPK outside the Judiciary in Lima while chanting, "Peru, we love you. That's why we defend you." Later, they sung Peru's national anthem in a display of patriotism.
At approximately 8:15 p.m. local time, a group of protesters deviated from the established route and were dispersed with tear gas by police. More confrontations ensued when protesters attempted to reach PKK's house in the San Isidro district.
Protests were also held in Cusco, Chiclayo, Ayacucho, Piura, Huancayo and other Peruvian cities where people occupied plazas and major squares to voice their indignation and disapproval.
"All must go! The corrupt, the exploiters," "Pardon is insult," and "PPK: corrupt and abusive" were some of yesterday's slogans.
In Lima, Broad Front legislator Marco Arana joined the march.
"We will march until the pardon is annulled and Kuczynski resigns," Arana warned.
University students were also present, including students from Cantuta University, where one professor and nine students were kidnapped by the Peruvian Army in 1992. The Cantuta massacre was one of the crimes Fujimori was convicted for.
Fujimori is linked to forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the war against insurgent groups Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. The former president also directed the forced sterilization of approximately 300,000 women between 1996 and 2000.
Human rights and bereaved family organizations announced that the next march will be on Jan. 11.
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