Ex-President of Peru pardoned on the basis of bad health despite of 25 years of jail

Lima, December 25: Ex-President of Peru Alberto Fujimori who was imprisoned on the grounds of human rights crimes. Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski pardoned him before completion of a 25-year prison sentence.

Kuczynski’s office said in a statement that a medical review showed that Fujimori, 79, who governed Peru from 1990 to 2000, suffered from “a progressive, degenerative and incurable disease.”

He is considered as a divisive figure in Peru. He is admired by some Peruvians for combating Maoist rebels, whereas his critics consider him a corrupt dictator. The presidential pardon comes just days after Fujimori's supporters in Congress helped Mr Kuczynski avoid impeachment over alleged corruption.

Opposition politicians allege that the President had promised the supporters to free Fujimori in exchange for their backing.

The decision triggered a Christmas Eve protest in downtown Lima, where police fired teargas at scores of Fujimori’ opponents as they waved pictures of the victims of a counterinsurgency campaign during his 1990-2000 right-wing government.

Peruvians remain bitterly divided over Fujimori’s legacy. His supporters credit him with laying the foundations of the country’s robust, investor-friendly economy after it was sunk by massive hyperinflation. His supporters say he pacified the country, defeating the brutal Maoist Shining Path movement.