Peru’s Supreme Court has confirmed a verdict finding Alberto Fujimori guilty of ordering the kidnapping and murder of 25 dissidents during his presidency from 1990 to 2000. His 25-year sentence marks the first time a democratically elected Latin American ruler was found guilty of human rights abuses in his own country. –JCL

The BBC:

Peru’s Supreme Court has upheld a 25-year jail sentence imposed on former President Alberto Fujimori.

The term was handed down last April for ordering the security forces to carry out killings and kidnappings.

Fujimori, who led Peru from 1990 to 2000, returned from exile in late 2007 to face his accusers.

It was the first time a democratically elected Latin American leader was found guilty of human rights abuses in his own country.

Fujimori had denied overseeing a death squad as part of a “dirty war” against suspected Maoist Shining Path guerrillas in the early 1990s.

But he was convicted of directing the killings of 25 people, following a 15-month trial.

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