He was the autocrat who ruled Peru with an iron fist in the nineties, served 16 years of the 25 to which he was sentenced for being the mastermind of the massacres in the Barrios Altos and La Cantuta cases and last December he was released from prison on humanitarian pardon. Former President Alberto Fujimori died this Wednesday in Lima at the age of 86, as announced by his daughter Keiko Fujimori on the social network X. “After a long battle with cancer, our father, Alberto Fujimori, has just departed to meet the Lord. We ask those who appreciated him to accompany us with a prayer for the eternal rest of his soul. Thank you for so much, Dad! Keiko, Hiro, Sachie and Kenji Fujimori,” wrote the leader of the Fuerza Popular party. The Nikkei politician had returned to the front line in recent months as influencer and youtuber. Her daughter even said that she would run for president in 2026. Fujimori died on September 11, the same day that Abimael Guzmán, leader of the Shining Path guerrilla organization, died three years ago at the same age.
The Executive of Dina Boluarte conveyed its condolences through social networks. “The Presidency of the Republic regrets the sensitive death of the former president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori. Our heartfelt condolences to the family, whom we accompany in their deep pain. God have him in his glory and may he rest in peace.” Various journalistic sources warned in the last hours that his condition was critical. Last week he was captured by the press in a wheelchair leaving a local clinic. When asked about his health, he only managed to say that he had gone to have some checkups for his multiple ailments. Before his death was known, a priest was seen leaving the house of Keiko Fujimori, leader of the Fuerza Popular party. Some congressmen from the Orange party and his family doctor also entered.
Throughout this year, Fujimori has had a fairly active role on social media, where he produced various videos to clean up his image of various events that incriminate him. He also joined the political group led by his daughter. Last July, it was precisely Keiko who assured that her father would be Fujimorism’s main card for the 2026 general elections. “I think he is the one who should lead the way. I would let my father be the leader of that presidential ticket,” said the politician who lost the last three elections by a narrow margin.
The statements opened a public debate, since according to the Constitution, all those convicted of having committed a wilful crime, whether as authors or accomplices, are prohibited from aspiring to an elected office. And it has been indicated that the pardon does not eliminate the sentence. The truth is that last month Congress approved a law that directly favors the autocrat, since it frees from any judicial process those who have committed crimes against humanity or war crimes before July 2002, when the Rome Statute came into force in Peru.
In a move that sparked opposition from a large sector of the population, Congress had also approved a life pension for Fujimori. According to the law, former constitutional presidents must receive a pension equivalent to the total income of a sitting congressman, but this benefit is suspended in the event of a constitutional accusation, unless the judiciary declares his innocence. Fujimori had a multimillion-dollar debt with the Peruvian state, amounting to 15.5 million dollars. According to the Global Report on Corruption 2004, prepared by the NGO Transparency International, the politician, who enjoyed the support of a sector of the working classes, is in seventh place among the ten most corrupt leaders.
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