PROFILE: Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori remains a controversial figure

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori remained a divisive figure in the Andean nation, where he was recently extradited to stand trial for corruption and human rights abuses. Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who ruled between 1990 and 2000, remained a controversial figure in his Andean nation. Fujimori was an unknown university professor when he was elected president in 1990. At the time, inflation was rampant and the Maoist rebel group the Shining Path was waging a "popular war" in the country that left thousands dead and terrorized the country. In 1992, two years into office, Fujimori shut the opposition-dominated Congress and suspended the constitution so he could enact economic reform and combat the Shining Path. The move was applauded by most Peruvians but initially denounced abroad. His administration arrested Shining Path leader Abimael Guzman and a hooded military court sentenced him to life imprisonment for treason in 1992. He won reelection and caught the world's attention in 1997 when he ended a four-month crisis at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, where more than 500 people were held hostage by leftist militants. Fujimori sent in a team of over 100 commandos in a raid that ended with one hostage, two commandos, and all 14 insurgents dead. Fujimori also addressed economic problems and hyperinflation and felt his methods were justified by their results. "The problem of terrorism was something that could be resolved, that's how it was considered-- a difficult problem but with the strategy we employ-- utilizing the national intelligence service, special legislation, in other words a general strategy-- it was resolved," he said. "The second thing was the matter of hyperinflation of 7600%. We've reduced it to almost 4%. The other matter is foreign debt. It was practically unmanageable to pay the interest on the debt. I negotiated rather favorable terms. The peace accord with Ecuador was also a problem for decades that provoked various conflicts and that meant an accord in agreement with the international treaty." In 1998, he ended a 57-year dispute with Ecuador over a disputed boundary in the Amazon jungle that had taken the two countries to war three times. He won reelection for a third time but battled a corruption scandal when his spy chief and close advisor Vladimiro Montesinos was caught on tape bribing or trying to bribe congressmen and journalists. In late 2000, just a few months into his third term, Fujimori resigned the presidency, initially by fax from Japan, as the corruption scandal and allegations of human rights abuses enveloped his government. He sought exile in Japan where he claimed Japanese citizenship by virtue of his Japanese parents who immigrated to Peru. After five years in exile-- during which Peru repeatedly requested his extradition-- Fujimori voluntarily flew to Chile en route to launch a political comeback in Peru's presidential elections. There he was arrested and, for two years, awaited a decision by the Chilean courts on his extradition. On Friday (September 21), the Chilean Supreme Court ordered his extradition to Peru to face trial on corruption and human rights abuses. The news sparked celebrations outside the Chilean embassy. On Saturday, Fujimori was extradited under heavy security and is being held at the special forces police base. PROFILES BACKGROUND FEATURES BACKGROUNDERS

ITN Source | September 25, 2007

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