Families of Fujimori Victims Request Review of Pardon

The Peruvian Judiciary System, on Friday, had a trial to process a nullity request regarding the presidential pardon received by former President Alberto Fujimori, who was imprisoned for crimes against humanity, in December 2017.

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The families of the victims of La Cantuta and Barrios Altos presented their testimony about the legality of the presidential faculty taken by former President Kuczynski to grant a humanitarian pardon for the Peruvian dictator, Alberto Fujimori.

The control of conventionality, presented by the families of the victims, is a resource to determine whether, in this case, Fujimori's pardon is compatible with the laws and provisions of domestic law, according to the American Convention on Human Rights and the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered a pardon revision by the justice system, which encouraged the families of the victims to fill this resource. The victims' defense argued that - at the hearing, when Fujimori was pardoned - the former president had not complied with the civil reparations for the crimes committed, nor with half of his sentence, nor did he acknowledge his crime.

"We need and want you to evaluate this resolution. The Inter-American Court indicates that there are certain requirements. Alberto Fujimori has not paid a single Sol," Gloria Cano representative of the victims' defense said.

The court will decide if the control of conventionality is valid, within the next 15 days, inside the legal deadlines for this resource. Fujimori was in jail for a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity perpetrated in the cases of Barrios Altos and La Cantuta.

In December 2017, ex-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (PPK), granted Fujimori a controversial humanitarian pardon, citing health issues of the embattled one-time dictator. The pardon was later revealed to have been a product of a political pact between former legislator Kenji Fujimori, son of Alberto Fujimori, and disgraced President Kuczynski, who was trying to avoid impeachment. 

The pact served its purpose, briefly, before PPK was forced to resign in March, and Kenji lost his congressional seat in June.