Alberto Fujimori, the former president of Peru who faced convictions for human rights violations and corruption, has passed away at the age of 86 due to cancer.
His demise was confirmed on Wednesday in the capital city of Lima by his daughter, Keiko Fujimori.
“After a prolonged struggle with cancer, our father… has just departed to meet the Lord,” she shared in a post on social media platform X, which was co-signed by her three siblings – Hiro, Sachie, and Kenji.
“We kindly ask those who cherished him to remember us in prayer for the eternal peace of his soul.”
Fujimori, who was born to Japanese immigrants, governed the nation from 1990 to 2000.
Fujimori after winning Peru’s presidential election in June 1990. Pic: AP
Throughout his ten-year tenure, he managed to stabilize the economy, which had been plagued by excessive hyperinflation, through the privatization of numerous government-owned enterprises.
During his administration, the notorious leader of the Maoist insurgent group Shining Path, Abimael Guzman, was apprehended – significantly undermining a rebel movement that threatened to overthrow the Peruvian government in the 1980s.
Fujimori quickly distinguished himself as a shrewd politician whose proactive approach yielded tangible outcomes.
However, while he garnered support from many, he also ruled with an authoritarian grip, leading a significant portion of Peruvians to view him as a dictator.
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After a brief closure of Congress and a contentious maneuver to secure a third term, he fled the nation in 2000 as incriminating videotapes surfaced showing his intelligence chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, bribing various politicians.
He sought refuge in Japan, from which he infamously sent his resignation via fax.
Five years later, upon his arrival in neighboring Chile, he was arrested and subsequently extradited to Peru.
There, he faced convictions for human rights abuses, misuse of power, and orchestrating two massacres through death squads.
Fujimori was released from incarceration last December after serving nearly 15 years of a 25-year sentence due to a humanitarian pardon reinstated by Peru’s constitutional court, originally granted six years prior.
Fujimori leaving a hospital in Lima in January 2018. Pic: Kyodo via AP
The ailing ex-leader was released after enduring years of health issues, which included stomach ulcers,
hypertension, and tongue cancer.
Following his death, his supporters assembled outside his residence.
“Today, I mourn the loss of a leader,” remarked Cesar Valverde.
“He should have returned to the presidency; we were advocating for Alberto Fujimori’s return as president, but God has called him home.”
