Peru/Chile: Signatures collected on Fujimori case

Peru/Chile: 20,000 signatures collected as a result of the international campaign on the Fujimori case

(Santiago de Chile) At a public meeting held today, Amnesty International and the Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos del Peru, National Human Rights Coordinating Body of Peru, revealed that over 20,000 people from all over the world had joined the international campaign to ensure that the case against Alberto Fujimori is resolved promptly.

The signatures – from countries including England, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Peru – are part of a set of signatures which will be presented to the Chilean courts in the near future.

“The 20,000 signatures represent 20,000 victims of the armed conflict in Peru. The only thing these victims received from Fujimori was torture, death and impunity,” Amnesty International said.

“It is crucial for Peru’s future that Fujimori is tried for the crimes against humanity of which he is accused. A Peru without justice is a country without a future,” said the Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos.

“The struggle against impunity must be pursued not only by relatives who are committed to the question of justice but by all societies who understand and support the issue. Only in this way will be able to punish human rights violators,” said Gisella Ortiz, sister of Luis Enrique Ortiz Perea, one of the victims of the massacre that took place at La Cantuta University.

“No one with a modicum of moral sensitivity can remain indifferent to these cases,” said Jaime Beneyto, an Amnesty International volunteer in Spain, as he signed the petition.

“What made me sign is that personally I feel it is ridiculous that crimes of this kind can go unpunished,” said Edurne de la Hera, a cyberactivist from Spain.

“I joined the campaign because I believe that crimes against humanity should be punished so that these kinds of acts, which wound the very conscience of humanity, will never again be committed,” said Pablo Arenales, a Colombian human rights defender.

"The campaign will continue until all victims of human rights violations in Peru receive justice and reparation," said Amnesty International.

Alberto Fujimori remains in detention in Santiago de Chile where he is awaiting a ruling by the Chilean courts on an extradition request submitted by the Peruvian Government last January. The Peruvian Government has accused the former President of being responsible for the massacre of 15 women, men and children in Barrios Altos, Lima, in 1991 and the forced disappearance and murder of nine students and a teacher at La Cantuta University in 1992.

For further information on the campaign, please see:
In Spanish - http://www.es.amnesty.org/actua/fujimori_dic05/
In English - http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/peru/index.do

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