Peru’s former President Alberto Fujimori, who was convicted of human rights abuses and corruption, has died aged 86, his daughter has confirmed.
Fujimori governed Peru between 1990 and 2000 before being forced from office amid allegations of corruption. His tough stance against a left-wing guerrilla insurgency while president also brought allegations of human rights abuses. But his supporters praise him for defeating the rebels at a time when they looked likely to seize power.
Fujimori’s children Keiko, Hiro, Sachie, and Kenji said in a joint statement, “After a long battle with cancer, our father, Alberto Fujimori, has just departed to meet the Lord. We ask those who loved him to join us in praying for the eternal rest of his soul. Thank you for so much, Dad!”
Fujimori’s doctor, Jose Carlos Gutierrez, said the former president had been diagnosed with tongue cancer earlier this year and had died “of complications from the illness.” He explained,
“The immunological treatment is very good but it has side effects. As a result of these side effects, he [Fujimori] had breathing problems two days ago. He started with shortness of breath, we administered oxygen. The shortness of breath got worse, he started to bloat. Finally, yesterday night, he was unconscious. And finally, today engineer Fujimori died around 18:00 [23:00 GMT].”
