The decision drew angry criticism from President Pedro Castillo, who has called on international courts to ‘defend justice’.
Peru’s top constitutional court has ruled that the former President Alberto Fujimori could be released from prison, where he was sentenced to serve until 2032 for human rights violations.
Fujimori, 83, was previously pardoned on Christmas Eve 2017. But the Constitutional Court overturned that controversial decision on the grounds that it was invalid.
Thursday’s new decision reinstates the pardon, following the appointment of judges in recent years who are seen as more sympathetic to the former president.
The ruling, announced Thursday, showed the judges voted 4-3 to release Fujimori. It is not clear when Fujimori may be released from prison or whether new legal challenges may block the decision.
This decision provoked angry reactions from President Pedro Castillo, an opponent of Fujimori’s political legacy, who has called on international courts to “defend the effective administration of justice”. Peru is a member of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights based in Costa Rica.
Leftist groups called for protests late on Thursday. The first amnesty prompted thousands of people to take to the streets.
Fujimori, who ran Peru from 1990 to 2000, is a highly polarizing figure.
During his first term, he turned the economy around and ended a period of hyperinflation, but he was later convicted for human rights violations involved in a brutal crackdown Shining path guerrilla group. He also sent the army to dissolve the National Assembly and re-draft the Constitution.
Peru’s Prime Minister, Anibal Torres, responded to the ruling that the government must abide by the ruling, although he criticized it as a way to “ensure punishment” for the former president.
“I have said before that this [court] should go away, it’s very negative for the country,” Torres told local media. “This creature has caused a lot of damage to the country as in this particular case.”
Peru’s Constitutional Court is the country’s top court and is separate from the executive branch.
Castillo, who took office in July after defeating Fujimori’s daughter Keiko in a foreign election, said during the election campaign that he wanted to tear down the court. However, since becoming president, he has been silent on the matter.
Fujimori resigned as president in 2000 shortly after starting his third term. When a series of videos showed the police chief bribing politicians with cash, he flew to Japan and faxed his resignation. In Japan, he claimed Japanese citizenship and stayed for several years before flying to Chile in 2005, where he was arrested. He was later extradited to Peru, where he was successfully prosecuted.
Fujimori was convicted in 2009 and released in 2017 for several months, before being jailed again when his pardon was overturned.
Fujimori’s allies – including his daughter Keikowho ran for president three times – has long said that he struggles with poor health and deserves a humanitarian pardon. Fujimori was hospitalized last week and discharged on Monday.
