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Peru’s highest court yesterday convicted former President Alberto Fujimori of human rights violations. He faces 25 years in prison for ordering the killing of 25 Peruvians by a death squad, among other things. It is the first time that an elected head of state has been convicted of human rights violations by a court in his own country. Fujimori presided over Peru for a decade, from 1990 to 2000. His tenure was marked by wide ranging neo-liberal financial reforms, corruption, authoritarianism, and a bloody conflict with rebel groups that resulted in 70,000 deaths. Fujimori is already serving a six year sentence for conducting an illegal search. This new conviction which was the conclusion of more than a year-long publicly broadcast trial, is being closely watched by international human rights activists. It sets a precedent which they hope is an encouraging sign for other nations to prosecute elected heads of state.

GUEST: Almudena Bernabeu international attorney with the San Francisco based group Center for Justice and Accountability

For more information, visit www.cja.org.