Follow-up: Fujimori to be extradited

Chile’s Supreme Court announced this morning that ex-Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori will be extradited on seven counts of corruption and human rights abuses. The ruling cannot be appealed; hence, the Peruvian government will try to get Fujimori extradited as soon as possible.

Human rights groups praised the verdict and the possibility of a lengthy jail term for the former Peruvian leader:

"There is nothing comparable to this in modern history," said Jose Miguel Vivanco of Human Rights Watch, who noted that former heads of state have typically argued that they are above the law or successfully petitioned for political asylum to prevent prosecution for human rights crimes.

"In this case a local [Chilean] court used domestic law to grant the extradition of a former head of state for human rights abuses," said Mr. Vivanco, clearly exuberant. "This is unprecedented."

As we mentioned yesterday, Peru’s president Alan Garcia and family members of victims have been eager for this verdict. Also, a vast majority of Peruvians wanted Fujimori extradited.

Sources- Reuters UK, Bloomberg, Voice of America, Associated Press, The Latin Americanist

Image- Living in Peru