September 12, (THEWILL) – Former president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, died on Wednesday, after battling with Cancer.
Known for his authoritarian rule and subsequent 16-year prison sentence for crimes against humanity, Fujimori passed away in the capital city of Lima at age 86.
“After a long battle with cancer, our father, Alberto Fujimori, has just departed to meet the Lord”, Keiko, his eldest daughter, wrote on X on behalf of three other children (Hiro, Sachie, and Kenji).
She added that her father’s wake would begin on Thursday, at the National Museum and his burial would take place on Saturday.
“We are waiting for all those who want to say goodbye to him in person”, she said.
Fujimori was last seen in public last Thursday, as he was leaving a Lima clinic, where he said he had undergone a CT scan.
Meanwhile, the Government has declared three days of national mourning for Fujimori beginning on Thursday. A decree published in the official gazette, said Fujimori would have “the funeral honors that correspond to a president in office.”
Fujimori led Peru from 1990 to 2000. He was released from prison on humanitarian grounds in December, two-thirds of the way through a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity during his rule.
He was a key part of Peru’s so-called war on terrorism, with government forces fighting against Shining Path and Tupac Amaru leftist rebels.
According to Peruvians Government Truth Commission, the war left more than 69,000 people dead and 21,000 missing from 1980 to 2000, most of them civilians.
Many Peruvians called Fujimori, who was of Japanese descent, “el chino” or the Chinese man.
After his death on Wednesday, supporters of the rightwinger gathered outside his house chanting “El chino did not die! El chino is present!”
