Fujimori’s Historic Conviction under Threat with Upcoming Elections in Peru http://www.wola.org/news/fujimori_s_historic_conviction_under_threat_with_upcoming_elections_in_peru

“This was the first time a democratically elected president was convicted for human rights violations in an unimpeachable judicial process,” said conference organizer Jo-Marie Burt, Senior Fellow at WOLA and political science professor at George Mason University. “The trial also demonstrated that national courts can be effective venues for accountability for human rights violations with important international implications.”At the same time, WOLA is concerned at the very real possibility of a presidential pardon for Fujimori.

Peruvian law prohibits pardons to individuals who have been convicted of aggravated kidnapping, as Fujimori was, and international law prohibits pardons to those responsible for crimes against humanity. “Outgoing President Alan Garcia has publicly contemplated the possibility of granting Fujimori a pardon, at one point even suggesting holding a national referendum to determine public support for such a measure,” according to WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt. “Peru’s presidential elections take place this Sunday, and several candidates have suggested they would consider a pardon for Fujimori under certain conditions. And there’s no doubt that if she is elected, Fujimori’s daughter Keiko would promptly pardon her father.”