'Crimes Against Humanity' Former Peruvian President Fujimori of Japanese Immigrant Descent Passes Away

Direct and Indirect Involvement in Massacre... At Least 25 Deaths
Also Suspected of Forcibly Sterilizing 270,000 Women

Alberto Fujimori, former President of Peru who was sentenced to prison for committing crimes against humanity, has reportedly died in the capital city of Lima at the age of 86.

Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former President Fujimori and leader of Peru's opposition party, the Popular Force Party, announced on the 11th (local time) on her X (formerly Twitter) account, "My father passed away after a long battle with cancer," and asked, "Please pray together for my father's eternal rest."

Born in 1938 to Japanese immigrant parents, former President Fujimori majored in mathematics at university and even served as a university president. He was elected President of Peru in 1990, defeating Mario Vargas Llosa, a Peruvian writer and Nobel Prize laureate in Literature.

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, photographed on February 4, 1996. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

In the early years of his term, former President Fujimori contributed to economic stabilization by privatizing Peru's state-owned industries and implemented strong security policies to expel guerrillas within Peru. These policies were highly praised by the public, enabling him to win three consecutive terms until 2000. However, he eventually resigned after it was revealed that he was directly or indirectly involved in various crimes such as massacres and kidnappings committed in Peru during his tenure.

In 2005, he was placed under house arrest after re-entering Chile in an attempt to make a political comeback, and in 2007 he was extradited to Peru and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The trial ended with Fujimori's defeat as the sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court. It is reported that the minimum number of victims who died as a result of Fujimori's crimes was 25.

Additionally, former President Fujimori is accused of forcibly sterilizing 270,000 indigenous women who were not fluent in Spanish under the name of a "family planning program." He is also accused of bribing members of the ruling institution and illegally surveilling political opponents.

Meanwhile, AP News reported, "Representative Keiko mentioned that former President Fujimori had plans to run for president again in 2026," and added, "Fujimori's last public appearance was on the 4th when he left a private hospital in a wheelchair."