Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, known for his authoritarian rule and subsequent imprisonment for crimes against humanity, passed away at age 86 in Lima on Wednesday.
“Our father, Alberto Fujimori, has passed away after a long battle with cancer,” his children, Keiko, Hiro, Sachie, and Kenji Fujimori, announced on the social media platform X.
Fujimori, who governed Peru from 1990 to 2000, had been released from prison on humanitarian grounds in December, having served two-thirds of a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity committed during his presidency.
His government’s campaign against Shining Path and Tupac Amaru leftist rebels, part of Peru’s “war on terrorism,” resulted in more than 69,000 deaths and 21,000 disappearances, mostly civilians, between 1980 and 2000, according to a government truth commission.
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Keiko Fujimori announced that her father’s wake would be held at the National Museum starting Thursday, with the burial scheduled for Saturday. “We invite all those who wish to say their goodbyes in person,” she posted on X.
The Peruvian government declared three days of national mourning starting Thursday and stated that Fujimori would receive “the funeral honors corresponding to a president in office,” as per an official decree.
Earlier on Wednesday, sources close to the Fujimori family revealed that his health had rapidly declined following treatment for tongue cancer in August.
Fujimori was last seen publicly the previous Thursday after undergoing a CT scan at a Lima clinic.
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Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen conveyed his condolences to the Fujimori family, stating, “We want his children and relatives to know we share in their sorrow.”
Fujimori was convicted in 2009 for the actions of army death squads that resulted in the deaths of 25 people, including a child, during what were presented as anti-terrorist operations in 1991 and 1992.
In December 2017, then-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski granted him a pardon due to ill health. However, the Supreme Court later annulled the pardon, and Fujimori was returned to prison from the hospital in January 2019.
