Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a 25-year prison term for human rights abuses during his decade-long rule in the 1990s, has been freed after the country’s highest court restored a contentious 2017 pardon.
Fujimori, 85, was released from Lima’s Barbadillo prison on Wednesday, a day after the court ruled to restore the pardon on humanitarian grounds, despite criticisms from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Inter-American Court) and victims’ families.
Fujimori had been in prison for 16 years after being extradited from Chile in 2007.
Crowds of supporters gathered outside the jail, as Fujimori was greeted by his two children – Keiko, a three-time failed presidential hopeful, and Kenji, a businessman – before being driven away in a grey truck.
“It was time for this injustice against Fujimori to end, thanks to him, our country is on its feet,” said Catalina Ponce, a Fujimori supporter waiting outside the prison, earlier in the day.
Fujimori, who is of Japanese heritage and led the country from 1990 to 2000, has divided Peruvians like few other former leaders.
Post from www.aljazeera.com