Alberto Fujimori, former president of Peru, released from prison

Alberto Fujimori, former president of Peru, was released from prison Wednesday after Peru's Constitutional Court ordered his release on Tuesday. The information was confirmed by his daughter, Keiko Fujimori, on X (formerly Twitter).

"The moment we have been waiting for for more than 16 years has arrived. Thank God!" Keiko Fujimori wrote on the social network along with a photograph of her and her father.

‘A concerning setback for accountability’

The decision by the Peruvian justice system challenges organizations such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the United Nations that asked the country to refrain from releasing Fujimori. "Releasing ex-President Fujimori … is a concerning setback for accountability. Any humanitarian release of those responsible for serious human rights violations must be in line with [international] law," explained the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The former Peruvian president was serving a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity. However, in December 2017 he was granted a pardon by then-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. However, the courts overturned the decision just a few months later. This week, the Constitutional Court gave way to his release.

"All the sacrifice was worth it! Thank God and my mother who, in life, blessed the fight to free my father, and who today shares our joy from heaven. Welcome home Dad!" wrote his son Kenji Fujimori.