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Peru: ICJ jurist affirms former President Alberto Fujimori is guilty

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

During Alberto Fujimori's trial, Federico Andreu Guzman, a Columbian Jurist and member of the International Commission of Jurists affirmed the former Peruvian president was undoubtedly guilty of human rights violations.

Alberto Fujimori is responsible for the crimes committed by the Colin Group, a paramilitary death squad that killed dozens of Peruvian civilians, affirmed Andreu Guzman.

The existence of written orders is not necessary to prove the former president is responsible for the crimes because in human rights violation cases this type of proof usually does not exist, said the Colombian jurist.

He explained that this could be seen in cases of dictators in Chile, Argentina, the Third Reich and the case of Slobodan Hilosevic.

Furthermore, Guzman assured that Alberto Fujimori was clearly responsible for the massacres because he had not opened an investigation of the two cases (La Cantuta, Barrios Altos) but had rewarded those responsible for the crimes.

When questioned further by lawyers, Guzman explained that in these types of situations orders were not written down and were sometimes communicated through gestures or previously established signals.

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# Mateo says :
26 August, 2008 [ 12:05 ]

He said, she said.......Like Johnny Cochran eloquently said, "If [the glove] don't fit, you must acquit!

-Mateo

# mericorps says :
26 August, 2008 [ 12:12 ]

I hope Fujimori never sees freedom again.

# rice and sugar says :
26 August, 2008 [ 12:39 ]

Of course, there is no proof against him, but let's convict him anyway...This is one of those days in history, where injustice was served

# mericorps says :
26 August, 2008 [ 14:47 ]

There is much evidence against him, you just choose to not beleive it.

# Mateo says :
26 August, 2008 [ 15:13 ]

Was life really that bad under his leadership? Did he not improve anything? Would things be better now if the Shining Path were still killing people and curfews still in place? Just a few questions....

-Mateo

# rice and sugar says :
26 August, 2008 [ 15:17 ]

Life was so bad BEFORE Fujimori, many Peruvians had to leave Peru, scared of terrorism and pushed by hunger and unemployment.
He improved economy and national security.

I guess there are those who think that Shining Path was OK to live with. I personally thank Fujimori for ridding us of Shining Path.

# Mark says :
26 August, 2008 [ 17:07 ]

While they're at it maybe they could charge

George Bush - both of them!

Donald Rumsfeld

Dick cheney

and the host of other lying, thieving, manipulating members of the US government that are guilty of many more crimes against many more people. After all they've done much worse than Mr Fujimori and ARE STILL DOING IT and getting away with it!

Peace

Mark

Watch out Correo, Morales and Chavez you guys might be the next ones to fall under Americas desire to push thier will onto the rest of us, you have plenty of what the US wants and if you don't play the game...After all we've already seen what they can do-Panama, Ecuador, Chile etc..etc..

# mericorps says :
26 August, 2008 [ 17:17 ]

Mateo, how your logic fails Peru is this:

You are presuming that since Fujimori cleaned up Shining Path..and I am glad they were dealt with severely...and he improved the economy..and I am glad that was done as well...you seem to use those isses as to negate the fact that he had innocent people..people not associated with terrorism..simply people who criticised him brutally murdered.

I do not see how it is possible to excuse that, in fact to excuse that shows a lack of humanity.

Is life better for the innocent critiques that were brutally murdered by Montesinos henchmen under Fujimoris orders? I think not. How about their mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and children and lovers and friends? I think their lives have suffered.

Your flawed logic is an insult to Peru. Your failed logic says two rights and two wrongs negate each other.

While I am NOT a pacifist, I am also not a violent man, so this is not a threat but an example. According to your logic, I can murder you and your family because you offend me, then turn around and stop a child molestation ring and be found innocent of your murder because I did something for the greater good of humanity. That is simply ignorant.

That is failed logic and once again, I must incist I love Peru and I know Peru is better than that.

# Jet says :
26 August, 2008 [ 18:24 ]

Well said mericorps, I wish more people in Peru could see how these issues are seperate.  But unfortunately there are still so many people in Peru that swear allegience to a political party before they do to the truth or to their country. 

# Lucho says :
26 August, 2008 [ 22:49 ]

Mateo,

Something that has to be clear: Fujimori is in being tried because, during his regime, many innocent people (mostly poor, non-Spanish speaking Quechua people) were murdered by the armed forces. His government is also accussed of forcefully sterilizing as many as 300,000 women, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv9GtGl4Odk ; they were forced to sign permission papers in Spanish, a language many of them could not understand. He is accussed of corruption and many other things.

After he fled to Japan, he lived there for several years protected by his Japanese nationality. The Interpol had a warrant out for his arrest (The Interpol does not put out warrants for political reasons), so when he flew to Chile, the Chileans were alerted about it, and he was placed under house arrest. Peru had to initiate extradition procedures so he would not be let free and go back to Japan. In short, the Peruvian Attorney General had to create a detailed filing of the accusations against Fujimori and attach evidence of wrongdoing. This file was transmitted through the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to its Chilean counterpart which delivered it to the Chilean Supreme Court. For the extradition to proceed, the accusation had to not only refer to something that was a crime according to Peruvian law, but Chilean law had to consider it also a crime, ie., if the act Fujimori was accused of were considered illegal in Peru but not in Chile, Chile would have denied the extradition. Well, everybody knows what happened. The Chilean Supreme Court found merit in the extradition filing (You can all imagine what that means)

What is Fujimori's defense? I didn't know what was going on. As head of the state, head of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces (unless he was only a puppet), it was his legal duty to know.

What will happen next? Anything can happen in Peru. Some people on this post thank Fujimori. That is fine; it is their right, but I also want to see those poor Peruvians find justice. They also have rights.


Lucho

# rice and sugar says :
27 August, 2008 [ 08:33 ]

Blah, blah, blah...The accuser now has to change strategy to convict Fujimori. So far, there is no evidence against him.

# Mateo says :
27 August, 2008 [ 08:47 ]

Mericorps et al.,

I never said he was a saint. I know that my family lost members during that time due to the bombings in Lima. Now, from my perspective (albeit, baised), what he did was correct in stopping the Shining Path. What Montesinos did to the people of the sierra was wrong! I think the fault lies in Fujimori trusting too much in Montesinos' judgement and for that he should be held accountable since Montesinos had free reign. 

I made the comment on another topic earlier, but the underlying problem with Peru is the racism that is ingrained in the people (of all colors). Like Rodney King said, "Can't we all get along?"

-Mateo
 

# rice and sugar says :
27 August, 2008 [ 09:05 ]

Hey Lucho,
Thanks for the long reply on a previous forum (previous article).  
Good for you, you are a teacher! I also taught for a few years in the US. How small the world! But now I moved on to microbiology work. All I will reveal is that bacteria are really cool to work with!

BUT, since you are speaking out for the Quechua-speaking peoples of Peru (I have relatives who speak Quechua), I am surprised I have not seen any of your comments on different issues published here regarding Quechua speaking Peruvians, or Amazon speaking Peruvians, or native Peruvian cholos (myself included as a cholo). Where were you when the following articles were published here in this very website??? For instance, (1) the publication of the Peruvian constitution in Quechua, (2) the air contamination that is making campesinos breathe in sulfur oxide in La Oroya, (3) the Amazon natives who are losing their lands for oil extraction, etc. etc. etc.

You CONVENIENTLY talk about the natives when you need to USE them for political arguments, (particularly against Fujimori). In my opinion, you do NOT care about the native Peruvians (like myself). DO NOT use us (the cholos) to support your selfish arguments.

# Splaktar says :
27 August, 2008 [ 09:05 ]

I'll be happy when this is all over and Fujimori is in jail where he belongs.

# Phillip says :
10 September, 2008 [ 01:05 ]

President Alberto Fujimori is guilty yes he is. I hope they kill him in prison.
Arriba Ollanta Humala Arriba.

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