Peruvians protest ex-strongman’s pardon

LIMA, Peru — Thousands of Peruvians took to the streets Monday to protest the pardon granted to former President Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a 25-year sentence for human-rights abuses, corruption and the sanctioning of death squads.

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski issued the pardon Sunday, three days after he survived an impeachment vote. The Popular Force party, which is led by Fujimori’s children, had pushed for the impeachment, but 10 party lawmakers decided at the last minute to abstain from the vote.

The timing of the pardon has critics alleging that Kuczynski made a secret deal to stay in office. Kuczynski disputed that late Monday, urging the roughly 5,000 protesters across the country to “turn the page” and not be carried away by hate and “the negative emotions inherited from our past.”

Kuczynski earlier released a statement saying he decided to free Fujimori for “humanitarian reasons,” citing doctors who had determined the ex-leader suffers from incurable and degenerative problems. Fujimori had filed a request seeking a medical pardon more than a year ago.

The 79-year-old Fujimori, who governed from 19902000, is a polarizing figure in Peru. Some Peruvians laud him for defeating the Maoist Shining Path guerrilla movement, while others loathe him for human-rights violations carried out under his government.