Alberto Fujimori laid to rest after three days of national mourning

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori was laid to rest on Saturday, after a three-day period of national mourning. Thousands of his supporters waited in line to pay their respects to his casket at a Lima museum.

At the presidential palace, President Dina Boluarte attended a ceremony where soldiers in 19th-century attire honored Fujimori’s casket. However, Boluarte refrained from commenting on Fujimori’s contentious legacy and its lasting impact on Peru, according to Associated Press.

Fujimori, who died of cancer at 86, served as Peru’s president from 1990 to 2000. Despite his administration’s successes in stabilising Peru’s economy and defeating the Shining Path insurgency, his tenure was marred by authoritarian actions.

In 1992, Fujimori dissolved Peru’s congress and supreme court, declaring a state of emergency that compromised the nation’s democracy and led to significant human rights violations.

In 2009, Fujimori was convicted of crimes against humanity, including the murders of 25 people in two massacres and the kidnapping of a journalist.

Keiko Fujimori, left, embraces her daughters Kiara, center, and Kaori during the funeral of her father, former President Alberto Fujimori, in Lima, Peru. (AP)

He received a 25-year prison sentence and became the first elected Latin American leader to be convicted of such crimes. Fujimori spent years contesting this ruling and other corruption charges, eventually receiving a presidential pardon in 2017, which was later revoked but reinstated at the end of last year.

On Saturday, Fujimori’s children and numerous supporters gathered for a religious ceremony at a theatre in Lima. His daughter, Keiko Fujimori, said, “Finally daddy, you are free from the hate and vengeance of those people who did not forgive you for rescuing us from hunger and terror.” She added, “You are free from those years of unjust imprisonment.”

Keiko Fujimori, a two-time presidential candidate, now leads the conservative Fuerza Popular party, which has blocked several impeachment attempts against President Boluarte related to anti-government protests.

(with inputs from AP)

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