Fujimori’s Month to Forget…

It’s been a tough December for Alberto Fujimori, the former President of Peru. Two weeks ago, a Peruvian court sentenced him to six years in prison for ordering an illegal warrantless search of an apartment owned by the wife of his murderous intelligence chief, Vladimiro Montesinos — the first time a former Peruvian head of state has been convicted of crimes committed while in office. And he is currently being prosecuted for murder and kidnapping, charges that could carry a 30-year prison sentence:

Fujimori is accused in the killings of 15 women, men and children in Barrios Altos, Lima, in 1991 and the torture, disappearance and murder of nine students and one teacher from La Cantuta University in 1992. These crimes were attributed to the “Colina” Group, a death squad set up in 1991 within the Army Intelligence Services. The establishment of this group is believed to have been part of a counter-insurgency strategy allegedly implemented by Fujimori. Fujimori is also accused of having ordered the kidnapping and torture of critics of his government at the headquarters of the Military Intelligence Service where he lived during 1992.

According to news reports, the trial isn’t going well for Fujimori. First, he launched into an lengthy tirade the opening day of trial, shouting down the judge and angrily proclaiming his innocence. And then, while being cross-examined, he conveniently developed memory problems:

When questioned about specific human rights violations, Fujimori frequently responded that he could not remember.

“Do you have memory problems?” a frustrated Gamarra asked. “You’ve always had a good memory. Do you have memory problems now?”

Gamarra then quoted from a book by one of Fujimori’s former Cabinet ministers in which he commented on Fujimori’s impressive memory for details going back decades.

In response, Fujimori acknowledged that in the past he had a good memory but said that with the passage of time he’s forgetting some things.

“Don’t forget I’m 69 years old,” he said.

Even worse for Fujimori, the invaluable National Security Archive recently released a secret Defense Intelligence Agency cable indicating that, in 1997, he personally ordered Peruvian military commandos to “take no prisoners” during an assault on Tupac Amaru guerrillas that had seized the residence of the Japanese Ambassador — an order that led to the execution of three guerrillas who had surrendered and were unarmed. The cable is not related to the current charges against Fujimori, but it certainly complicates his attempt to distance himself from atrocities committed by his subordinates during his presidency.

And that is not all. Just to add insult to injury, a ringtone of Fujimori’s angry in-court tirade — entitled Soy Inocente — has become a monster hit in Peru and throughout South America…