Peru's former president has been jailed for 25 years after being found guilty of crimes against humanity and other charges.
Alberto Fujimori, 70, said he would appeal against the verdict after he was found to have ordered massacres and kidnappings during the 1990s "dirty war" against the Shining Path rebel group following a 15-month trial.
The former president - already serving a six-year prison sentence for abuse of power in an unrelated case - was sentenced after the verdict was read to a packed courtroom in Lima, the capital, on Tuesday.
Al Jazeera's Mariana Sanchez, reporting from the trial, said the families of the victims were satisfied with the verdict.
Gisela Ortiz, whose brother was killed at La Cantuta University in 1992 as Fujimori's squads hunted for presumed left-wingers, said: "For the first time, the Peruvian justice system rose to the occasion in this historic fight against impunity." Human rights groups also welcomed the verdict.
"After years of evading justice, Fujimori is finally being held to account for some of his crimes," said Maria McFarland, a senior Americas researcher at Human Rights Watch, who was in the courtroom for the announcement.
Fujimori could still be pardoned by Alan Garcia, the current Peruvian president, if he loses his appeal, our correspondent said.
Fujimori's daughter, Keiko, a congresswoman considering a run for the presidency in 2011, called for peaceful protests against what she said was an "unjust" verdict.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
Alberto Fujimori, 70, said he would appeal against the verdict after he was found to have ordered massacres and kidnappings during the 1990s "dirty war" against the Shining Path rebel group following a 15-month trial.The former president - already serving a six-year prison sentence for abuse of power in an unrelated case - was sentenced after the verdict was read to a packed courtroom in Lima, the capital, on Tuesday.
Al Jazeera's Mariana Sanchez, reporting from the trial, said the families of the victims were satisfied with the verdict.
Gisela Ortiz, whose brother was killed at La Cantuta University in 1992 as Fujimori's squads hunted for presumed left-wingers, said: "For the first time, the Peruvian justice system rose to the occasion in this historic fight against impunity." Human rights groups also welcomed the verdict."After years of evading justice, Fujimori is finally being held to account for some of his crimes," said Maria McFarland, a senior Americas researcher at Human Rights Watch, who was in the courtroom for the announcement.
Fujimori could still be pardoned by Alan Garcia, the current Peruvian president, if he loses his appeal, our correspondent said.Fujimori's daughter, Keiko, a congresswoman considering a run for the presidency in 2011, called for peaceful protests against what she said was an "unjust" verdict.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
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