By LUIS VARESE*
Crimes against humanity are not subject to the statute of limitations and cannot be condoned
“Forgiveness is an insult!” This is the slogan being shouted in the streets of Lima and in the main cities of Peru. In a new destabilizing maneuver, Fujimorism is trying to rescue the mafia boss from the golden prison, this time using the Constitutional Court.
The pardon of criminal Alberto Fujimori is an insult to all Peruvians who love their country. It is an insult to hard-won democracy, an insult to the heroes of Peru's wars, an insult to the revolutionaries who gave their lives for a better country, an insult to Peruvian women maimed by the genocidal barbarism of mass sterilizations. Finally, an insult to all of Our America, which has overcome the era of dictatorships, condemning dictators. There is no forgetting or forgiveness, because the dictator does not regret it in the least.
Crimes against humanity are not subject to the statute of limitations and cannot be condoned. The Peruvian State is a signatory and member of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and its decisions are binding. The Court has previously ruled against pardoning Alberto Fujimori Fujimori Fujimori, establishing that “It is necessary that, in addition to the health situation of the convicted person, other factors or criteria be taken into account, such as the fact that a considerable part of the prison sentence have been complied with and the civil reparation imposed in the sentence has been paid; the conduct of the convicted person with respect to clarifying the truth; recognition of the seriousness of the crimes committed and their rehabilitation; and the effects that his early release would have on society and on the victims and their families”. The Court maintains that none of these was fulfilled by the former dictator.
But not only has he not complied with them, but since his arrest he has continued to lead the mafia group which is sometimes led by his daughter Keiko and sometimes by his son Kenji. In other words, there was not a single act of self-critical reflection or intent to make amends. There is no recognition of the seriousness of the crimes perpetrated. There is also no decision to repatriate the millions stolen from the Peruvian State, the true amount of which is unknown, much less the civil reparation that the victims deserve. In other words, the three judges of the Constitutional Court who voted in favor of the pardon decided, who knows why nonc santa forgive this criminal dictator, who has caused so much harm to Peruvians.
Fujimori is not convicted by political judgments. Fujimori was convicted of crimes against humanity in two specific cases of the murder of students at the University of La Cantuta and citizens in a house in Barrios Altos, carried out by an extermination group called Grupo Colina, which was under his command. He has other cases and sentences for corruption, embezzlement and theft against the Peruvian state. One of the most serious cases, which has not yet been brought to trial, is the forced sterilization of almost three hundred thousand women by the Peruvian State through the Ministry of Health, in a typical Nazi practice, directed by Fujimori himself.
The attempt to impeach President Pedro Castillo failed
The result was known before the start of the Congress session, as the extreme right did not have enough votes. It was a triumph for democracy and Peru's fragile institutions.
What is needed is a return to the initial program for which he was elected, at least on issues having to do with agriculture, gas and the defense of sovereignty. Furthermore, we need a firm statement from President Pedro Castillo against corruption, impunity and crimes against humanity committed by Fujimori against the Peruvian people.
President Castillo has a new opportunity that history offers him, to join the will of the people and deliver a renewed country in the Bicentennial, with profound structural reforms essential for the survival of the country that elected him. He has the opportunity to defend national sovereignty, meeting the needs of Peruvians on all fronts, even from a State whose legislative power does not facilitate this task.
It is necessary to demonstrate to those who irresponsibly accuse him of being a traitor to the country for having spoken of an exit to the sea from Bolivia, that the country defends itself against multinationals, against health traders, against those who brutally exploit Peruvians in mining , fishing and agriculture. Against irresponsible illegal miners or those who traffic our natural and, above all, human resources. The homeland is defended by paying taxes and collecting taxes for the construction and reconstruction of schools and hospitals destroyed by those who sell the homeland, who make up the lumpenoligarchy that governs the country.
President Castillo has the opportunity to place himself on the side of history, assembling an advisory team of capable and honest people to give the government a direction in defense of Sovereignty and the redistribution of national wealth. Clearly he needs support. He must accept the Left Unity and understand that there are women and men with great abilities and true love for the country. It is time for him to stop seeking conciliation with a right wing that repudiates, discriminates and insults not only him, but the vast majority of the Peruvian people.
* Luis Varese is a journalist and anthropologist.
