FUJIMORI IS CALLED TO TRIAL AGAIN IN PERU

On February 19, 2018, Collegiate B of the National Criminal Chamber of Peru declared inapplicable the presidential pardon that had been granted to Alberto Fujimori in December 2017, so the former president was subject to trial for the Pativilca massacre, which occurred in January 1992. This judicial decision was an important milestone in the fight against impunity in Peru, since it allowed Fujimori to be tried for crimes committed during his government, despite the pardon that the then president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski had granted him. .

The Pativilca massacre was an attack perpetrated by the paramilitary group Colina, led by former presidential advisor Vladimiro Montesinos, in which six farmers were murdered in the population centers of San José and Caraqueño, in the province of Barranca. The farmers were accused of being members of the terrorist group Sendero Luminoso, but no evidence was ever presented to support this accusation.

Fujimori was accused of being the direct perpetrator of the massacre, since he would have been aware of the operation and would have given his approval. The Prosecutor's Office requested 25 years in prison for the former president, the same sentence he received for the massacres of Barrios Altos and La Cantuta.

The oral trial for the Pativilca massacre began on December 17, 2023 and is expected to last several months. In the first hearings, witnesses have stated that Fujimori was aware of the Colina operation and that he gave his approval for it to be carried out.

The call for Fujimori's trial for the Pativilca massacre has been received with satisfaction by the victims and their families, as well as by human rights organizations. This judicial decision is an important step for justice and reparation for the victims of the political violence that occurred in Peru during the 1990s.

The historical context of the Pativilca massacre

The Pativilca massacre took place in the context of the internal war that occurred in Peru between 1980 and 2000. During this period, the terrorist group Sendero Luminoso carried out a campaign of violence that caused the death of more than 70,000 people.

In response to Sendero Luminoso violence, Alberto Fujimori's government established the paramilitary group Colina, which carried out a series of extrajudicial operations against alleged members of the terrorist organization. These operations were known as the "massacres of the night".

The Pativilca massacre was one of these "massacres of the night." On January 12, 1992, a group of armed men dressed in civilian clothes broke into the homes of peasants in San José and Caraqueño and murdered them. The farmers were accused of being members of the Shining Path, but no evidence was ever presented to support this accusation.

The consequences of the Pativilca massacre

The Pativilca massacre was a crime against humanity that had a profound impact on Peruvian society. The attack was condemned by the international community and contributed to increasing international pressure against the Fujimori government.

The massacre also had consequences for the victims and their families. The victims' families have fought for decades for justice. In 2017, the Prosecutor's Office requested 25 years in prison for Fujimori for the massacre.

The call for Fujimori's trial for the Pativilca massacre is an important step for justice and reparation for the victims. This court decision is a recognition that the victims must not be forgotten and that those responsible for their crimes must be brought to justice.

The impact of the Fujimori trial

Fujimori's trial for the Pativilca massacre will have a significant impact on the fight against impunity in Peru. The court's decision to try Fujimori, despite the pardon that then-president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski had granted him, sends a clear message that no one is above the law.

The trial will also have an important symbolic impact. Fujimori's conviction for the Pativilca massacre would be a recognition that the crimes committed during the internal war should not go unpunished.

Fujimori's trial is still ongoing, but it has already had a positive impact on the fight against impunity in Peru. The court's decision to try Fujimori is an important step for justice and reparation for the victims of the political violence that occurred.