Fujimori says innocent of Peru rights abuses
By Marco Aquino
LIMA, April 1 (Reuters) - Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori defended himself on Wednesday during his trial for alleged human rights abuses, charging prosecutors have failed to present any evidence that proves he is guilty.
In the first session of a two-day "self-defense," the disgraced former leader painted a bleak picture of Peru during his 10-year rule in the 1990s, when a bloody civil war gripped the Andean country.
Fujimori, 70, said his policies were necessary and rescued Peru from chaos, helping to spur economic growth.
He is charged with ordering kidnappings and two massacres in which 25 people were killed, including university students and a young boy. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison.
"No one has presented a single piece of evidence against me and that's because it does not exist. Like I've said from the beginning, I'm innocent," Fujimori told a packed courtroom.
The trial, which began in December 2007 and is expected to wrap up this month, is a rare case of a former head of state being tried on rights crimes in his own country. Activists see it as a turning point for Peru, long hobbled by a weak judicial system and impunity for the powerful.
Fujimori quit the presidency in 2000 amid a series of wiretapping and corruption scandals. He sent his resignation by fax while visiting Japan, where his parents were born. In 2005, he flew to Chile, which extradited him to Peru.
Once a hugely popular figure, he still enjoys a fair amount of political support.
His daughter, Keiko Fujimori, who attended the defense, is a leading Peruvian congresswoman, considered a front-runner for the next presidential election in 2011.
Members of victims' families, also in court, rejected Fujimori's defense and said it was politically motivated, meant to boost his daughter's career.
"It's hypocritical," said Gisela Ortiz, whose brother was killed in the 1992 massacre at La Cantuta University.
"He misused the space the court gave him." (Additional reporting by Teresa Cespedes and Jean Luis Arce; writing by Dana Ford; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
LIMA, April 1 (Reuters) - Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori defended himself on Wednesday during his trial for alleged human rights abuses, charging prosecutors have failed to present any evidence that proves he is guilty.
In the first session of a two-day "self-defense," the disgraced former leader painted a bleak picture of Peru during his 10-year rule in the 1990s, when a bloody civil war gripped the Andean country.
Fujimori, 70, said his policies were necessary and rescued Peru from chaos, helping to spur economic growth.
He is charged with ordering kidnappings and two massacres in which 25 people were killed, including university students and a young boy. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison.
"No one has presented a single piece of evidence against me and that's because it does not exist. Like I've said from the beginning, I'm innocent," Fujimori told a packed courtroom.
The trial, which began in December 2007 and is expected to wrap up this month, is a rare case of a former head of state being tried on rights crimes in his own country. Activists see it as a turning point for Peru, long hobbled by a weak judicial system and impunity for the powerful.
Fujimori quit the presidency in 2000 amid a series of wiretapping and corruption scandals. He sent his resignation by fax while visiting Japan, where his parents were born. In 2005, he flew to Chile, which extradited him to Peru.
Once a hugely popular figure, he still enjoys a fair amount of political support.
His daughter, Keiko Fujimori, who attended the defense, is a leading Peruvian congresswoman, considered a front-runner for the next presidential election in 2011.
Members of victims' families, also in court, rejected Fujimori's defense and said it was politically motivated, meant to boost his daughter's career.
"It's hypocritical," said Gisela Ortiz, whose brother was killed in the 1992 massacre at La Cantuta University.
"He misused the space the court gave him." (Additional reporting by Teresa Cespedes and Jean Luis Arce; writing by Dana Ford; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
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