On Christmas Eve, Peruvian President Pedro Kuczynski pardoned former dictator Alberto Fujimori, convicted in 2009 for crimes related to corruption and human rights abuses. Kuczynski’s pardon of Fujimori has been interpreted as a bargain meant to ensure the president’s short-term political survival in the face of a looming impeachment process. International organizations, human rights groups, members of the U.S. Congress, and civil society groups have condemned the move for obstructing justice for the victims of Fujimori’s human rights crimes. WOLA has compiled important commentaries and statements on Fujimori’s pardon from within Peru and from the international community.
Statements from International Human Rights Organizations:
- Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro. View Statement.
- Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Organization of American States: View Statement.
- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: View Statement.
- Joint Statement from the Washington Office on Latin America, Center for Justice and International Law, and the Due Process Law Foundation: View Joint Statement.
- Human Rights Watch: View Statement.
- International Federation for Human Rights: View Statement.
- Joint Statement from the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; Ms. Agnès Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; and Mr. Pablo de Greiff, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence: View Statement.
- Amnesty International: View Statement.
Statements from Members of the US Congress:
Op-Eds and Coalition Statements:
- Gisela Ortiz Perea, “No es odio ni venganza”.
- Salomon Lerner Febres, “La reconciliación mal entendida”.
- José Ugaz, “Perdón y gran corrupción”.
- Julio Arbizu, “Fujimori, el indulto imposible”.
- Gustavo Gorriti, “Del Susto al Engaño”.
- Mario Vargas Llosa, “La traición de Kuczynski”.
- Peruvian Writers, “Más de 230 escritores peruanos rechazan el indulto a Fujimori”.
- Peruvian Historians, “Más de 150 historiadores rechazaron el indulto a Alberto Fujimori”.
- Peruvian Artists, “Más de 2.400 creadores peruanos condenan el indulto a Fujimori”.
- Family members of the disappeared, “Familiares de víctimas de Alberto Fujimori nos convocan a salir a las calles este 11 de enero”.
- Latin American Studies Association, “La Sección Perú de la Asociación de Estudios Latinoamericanos (LASA) Pronuncia su Rechazo al indulto a favor del ex dictador Alberto Fujimori, convicto por crímenes de lesa humanidad“.
- Peruvian Psychologists, “Pronunciamiento“.
Selected Press Coverage:
- Financial Times, “The Fujimoris’ holiday card”.
- The Wall Street Journal, “Pardon of Former Peru President Draws Anger of Victims”.
- The New York Times, “Peru in Uproar After Fujimori, a Rights Violator, Gets Medical Pardon”.
- The Washington Post, “Pardon of Peruvian autocrat Fujimori brings his powerful family back into the spotlight”.
- ABC International, “El indulto otorgado por Kuczynski no exime a Fujimori de los cargos por la matanza de Pativilca”.
- The Economist, “The troubling pardon of Alberto Fujimori”.
- Reuters, “As Peru president faced impeachment, jailed Fujimori worked to save both”.
- The Guardian, “Peru’s jailed ex-president Alberto Fujimori pardoned, sparking protests”.
- The Japan News, “Jailed Peruvian ex-President Fujimori rallied loyalists to save Kuczynski from impeachment”.
- Caretas, “El mundo contra el indulto de Alberto Fujimori”.
- NACLA, “A Deal with the Devil: The Fujimori Pardon”.
