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Lima, Peru – The curtain has fallen on the life of Alberto Fujimori, the 86-year-old former president who spent 16 long years in prison for his role in perpetrating crimes against humanity. His family announced his passing on Wednesday, bringing a close to a life marked by both political triumph and personal turmoil.
“After a long battle with cancer, our father, Alberto Fujimori, has just departed to meet the Lord,” his children Keiko, Hiro, Sachie and Kenji Fujimori wrote on the social media platform X.
“We ask those who loved him to join us in praying for the eternal rest of his soul,” they wrote, adding: “Thank you for so much, Dad!”.
After serving just over 16 years of his 25-year sentence, Alberto Fujimori, the former Peruvian president who held office from 1990 to 2000, was granted an early release from prison in December on compassionate grounds. This decision allowed him to spend his final days outside the confines of his cell.
According to sources close to the family, Alberto Fujimori’s health took a drastic turn for the worse following his completion of mouth cancer treatment in August, leading to a rapid decline in his condition, as revealed to AFP earlier on Wednesday.
Only a month before his death, Alberto Fujimori’s daughter Keiko disclosed that the former president, a longtime standard-bearer of Peru’s right wing, intended to seek the presidency once more in 2026, setting the stage for a dramatic political return.
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In 2009, Alberto Fujimori, a former president of Japanese descent, was sentenced to prison for his role in the brutal massacres carried out by military death squads in 1991 and 1992, which claimed the lives of 25 innocent victims, including a child, under the guise of anti-terrorism efforts.