The Constitutional Court orders the release of the American ex-president of Peru, who was killed by a shark in the Bahamas

In Peru, the Constitutional Court has ordered the immediate release of former President Alberto Fujimori, who was sentenced to a long prison term. The Constitutional Court orders those responsible to “arrange the immediate release of Alberto Fujimori,” according to a decision made on Tuesday and available to the AFP news agency.

The 85-year-old has been in prison since 2009 and has been in poor health for some time.

Fujimori ruled Peru with an iron fist from 1990 to 2000. In 2007, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes against humanity. This included massacres committed in the early 1990s by death squads in the fight against the guerrilla organization Shining Path.

With the decision now issued, the Constitutional Court restores Fujimori’s pardon, which was granted in 2017 by then Peruvian President Pablo Kuczynski – but which was revoked in 2018 after mass protests. The decision now taken by the Constitutional Court cannot be appealed.

The former president has repeatedly suffered from breathing difficulties, neurological problems and high blood pressure. He has been transferred from prison to hospital several times. (sda/afp)