Ex-Peru president jailed six years
Fujimori convicted of abuse of power for ordering theft of incriminating evidence.
It is the first time in Peru’s history that a former president has faced a public trial for crimes committed during his rule.
In November 2000, Fujimori had ordered an aide to break into a house where Vladimiro Montesinos, the intelligence chief, had hidden dozens of boxes of videos and tapes documenting government corruption.
Rights violations
In the human rights trial that began on Monday, Fujimori is accused of ordering two massacres that killed 25 people and two kidnappings when Peru was battling Maoist fighters.
| In depth |
Fujimori on Monday denied being involved in any of the killings and angrily protested his innocence, saying he “never ordered the death of anybody”.
A three-judge Supreme Court panel is reviewing charges that he authorised an army death squad to identify and kill suspected Maoist Shining Path guerrillas and collaborators.
In later trials, Fujimori is expected to face allegations that he illegally used $15m in state money to pay Montesinos to resign.
Fujimori initially received widespread support for his crackdown on the guerrillas and his economic reforms, which ended hyperinflation inherited from the previous government and spurred record foreign investment.