Lima, Jul 7 (EFE).- Thousands of people marched in the streets of the historic center of Lima on Friday to oppose the possibility of a pardon being granted to former president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes against humanity.
The protesters, including members of social and political organizations, universities and trade unions, chanted “the pardon is a mockery” in reference to the promise Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski made during his electoral campaign not to pardon the the former leader and father of Keiko Fujimori, whom he was running against.
Also joining the march were relatives of the victims of the Barrios Altos and La Cantuta massacres, for which Fujimori was sentenced to prison.
Veronika Mendoza, leader of the left-wing Broad Front party, told EFE she took part in the march “to remind Mr. Kuczynski that Fujimori is guilty of having robbed the Peruvian people of billions, of having sterilized thousands of peasant women, of having given orders to persecute, torture and kill those who did not think like him.”
While the protesters began their march through downtown Lima, Fujimori was taken from prison to a clinic in Lima after suffering a “decompensation”, former congressman Alejandro Aguinaga, the ex-president’s personal physician, said.
Kuczynski said Friday that doctors will carry out an evaluation of 78-year-old Fujimori’s health to determine if he should be granted a “medical pardon,” although he added that it would not be a pardon for Fujimori’s crimes.
Kuczynski also denied that he will be discussing the matter with Keiko Fujimori, leader of the opposition party Popular Force, in his meeting with her on Tuesday, saying that the talks would focus on issues of governance.
In a tweet in June, Keiko urged Kuczynski to use his presidential powers and pardon her father.
Fujimori was sentenced in 2009 to 25 years imprisonment as an indirect perpetrator of the deaths of 25 people in the massacres of Barrios Altos (1991) and La Cantuta (1992), committed by the Colina undercover military group, as well as the kidnappings of journalist Gustavo Gorriti and businessman Samuel Dyer in 1992.