Peruvians Reject Pardon to Former Dictator Alberto Fujimori

On Thursday, hundreds of citizens took to the streets of Lima, Cusco, Trujillo and Arequipa to protest against the Constitutional Court (TC) for a decision validating the pardon granted by former President Pedro Pablo Kuczinsky to former dictator Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000). 

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The habeas corpus in favor of Fujimori was possible thanks to the votes of Judges Ernesto Blume and Jose Sardon, who were supported by the casting vote of TC President Augusto Ferrero. This decision immediately upset Peruvians, who suspect that corruption and politics influenced the outcome.

In 2019, Ferrero admitted that he met with Popular Force Party leader Keiko Fujimori, the dictator's daughter, "when his election as a member of the Constitutional Court was being evaluated," local outlet Ojo Publico recalled, highlighting suspicions of lack of impartiality and corruption hanging over the current TC President.

After the Court's decision was known, Peruvian jurists reacted against it, arguing that the Supreme Court had already annulled the 2017 pardon due to irregularities committed in its granting.

The former president of the Council of Ministers, Mirtha Vasquez, asked President Pedro Castillo to act immediately and request the intervention of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (ICHR) to prevent Fujimori's release.

Although the protests were notorious and massive, the Peruvian mainstream media, which enthusiastically supported Fujimori during his rule, did not report on the events. Nor did they broadcast the hearing in which the Constitutional Court met to discuss the case on Thursday morning.

Given that the decision of the Constitutional Court has immediate application, Fujimori is expected to be released from the Barbadillo prison, where he has been serving a sentence for crimes against humanity committed during his administration. Among these crimes is the forced sterilization of Indigenous women during the U.S.-backed war against the insurgency in the 1990s.