WASHINGTON-Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and a former Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, today made the following statement on Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s decision to pardon former President Alberto Fujimori.
“I have serious concerns about President Kuczynski’s decision to pardon Alberto Fujimori, the former president of Peru whose tenure was infamous for human rights violations at the government’s hands, including the murder of 15 people in Barrios Altos and the execution of 10 students at the University La Cantuta.
“The timing of the pardon is particularly troubling, coming just days after President Kuczynski survived an impeachment vote on corruption charges aided by the support of lawmakers aligned with Alberto Fujimori. In April, Peru will host the Summit of the Americas and has chosen ‘Democratic Governance against Corruption’ as the theme. President Kuczynski’s apparent pact with Mr. Fujimori and his supporters sets a problematic tone ahead of the April Summit. I urge President Trump and Secretary Tillerson to stand with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in expressing deep concern with President Kuczynski’s pardon of Mr. Fujimori.".
