Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori passed away at the age of 86 in Lima on Wednesday, News About Nigeria reports.
He was known for his authoritarian rule and subsequent imprisonment for crimes against humanity.
His children, Keiko, Hiro, Sachie, and Kenji, announced his death on social media platform X, attributing it to a long battle with cancer.
Following his death, his daughter, Keiko Fujimori, a three-time presidential candidate, announced that a public wake would be held at the National Museum on Thursday, with his burial scheduled for Saturday.
The Peruvian government declared three days of national mourning and announced that he would receive the funeral honours of a former president.
Fujimori’s presidency was marked by his involvement in Peru’s violent conflict with Shining Path and Tupac Amaru rebels.
The war left more than 69,000 dead and 21,000 missing, mostly civilians, according to a government truth commission.
Fujimori was convicted in 2009 for his involvement in the 1991 and 1992 massacres, where 25 people, including a child, were killed by army death squads.
Although pardoned in 2017 due to ill health, the Supreme Court later annulled the pardon, and he was returned to prison in 2019 before being released again in 2023.
Fujimori, who led Peru from 1990 to 2000, had been released from prison on humanitarian grounds in December 2023 after serving 16 years of a 25-year sentence.
Fujimori, who had Japanese ancestry and was often referred to as “El Chino” by Peruvians, had a mixed legacy.
In his later years, he reflected on his time in power, telling AFP in 2018, “Let history judge what I got right and what I got wrong.”
Despite the controversies, many credit his government with laying the foundation for Peru’s modern economic growth.
Despite the brutal tactics of his regime, Fujimori remains a polarising figure, with both supporters and detractors arguing over his legacy.
