(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most people in Peru believe former president Alberto Fujimori was responsible in one way or another for the killing of civilians during a crackdown against insurgent groups, according to a poll by Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado published in El Comercio. 38 per cent of respondents say Fujimori ordered the assassinations and should be sent to jail.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most people in Peru believe former president Alberto Fujimori was responsible in one way or another for the killing of civilians during a crackdown against insurgent groups, according to a poll by Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado published in El Comercio. 38 per cent of respondents say Fujimori ordered the assassinations and should be sent to jail.
Conversely, 23 per cent of respondents say the former president ordered the executions, but should not go to jail because Peru was at war against terrorism. Only 14 per cent of respondents think Fujimori is completely innocent in this case.
Fujimori served as Peru’s president from 1990 to 2000. He left office after a series of corruption allegations and settled in Japan—the homeland of his parents—where he lived in a self-imposed exile. In July 2003, the Peruvian government officially requested Fujimori’s extradition, which was denied. In November 2005, Fujimori was detained in Chile on the basis of an international warrant.
Fujimori’s trial by the penal division of Peru’s Supreme Court began in November 2007. He faces charges for offences including misuse of public funds, kidnapping and murder. In the early 1990s, he launched a crackdown on armed groups. A government-backed paramilitary squad known as the Colina Group was involved in two separate deadly operations in 1991 and 1992. The first was a raid on a barbecue party where 15 people mistaken for Shining Path rebel sympathizers were killed. The second operation was a roundup at La Cantuta university, where nine students and a professor disappeared.
The 70-year-old Fujimori faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Vladimiro Montesinos, Fujimori’s closest advisor and the head of Peru’s National Intelligence Service (SIN) during his decade-long tenure, has been convicted in 13 different trials for crimes such as plotting against national security, arms dealing and embezzlement. He is currently serving a 20-year sentence in Peru and awaiting a verdict on other 50 or so processes against him.
Last month, José Peláez, chief prosecutor in Fujimori’s trial, justified the charges against the former president, saying, "Never was a decision made to halt the functioning of this death squad. On the contrary, legal measures were taken that instead gave it a better chance to continue operating."
Polling Data
What is your view on the participation of Alberto Fujimori in the crimes of Barrios Altos and La Cantuta?
|
Fujimori ordered the assassinations and should be sent to jail for it |
38% |
|
Fujimori ordered the executions, but he should not go to jail because Peru was at war against terrorism |
23% |
|
Fujimori found out about the crimes after they happened, but he is responsible because he protected the criminals |
18% |
|
Fujimori is completely innocent. He had nothing to do with this |
14% |
|
Not sure |
7% |
Source: Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado / El Comercio
Methodology: Interviews with 1,000 Peruvian adults, conducted from Mar. 11 to Mar. 13, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
