LIMA, Peru - November 17 - One of the most significant rulings against a former head of state for rights abuses is currently up for appeal.  Having monitored the trial of former president Alberto Fujimori for human rights violations, Praxis Institute for Social Justice will continue its observation during the appeal set to take place on Nov. 23.  Fujimori’s conviction and 25-year prison sentence issued last April 7 was hailed a landmark ruling by international human rights organizations.  Yet there is still a possibility for the ruling to be overturned.  In the approaching appeal, Peruvian Supreme Court judges could uphold the sentence, reduce it or annul it completely, ordering the trial to begin again from scratch.

Following his extradition from Chile in September 2007, Fujimori has been convicted in each of the four trial trials he faced, pleading guilty in three.  His 25-year sentence for rights abuses is by far the longest, marking the term he would serve in Peru, where sentences are non-cumulative.  If overturned, the former president’s jail time could be drastically reduced.  Fujimori’s government has long been a dividing issue in the country.  Additionally, the polemic president’s daughter, Keiko Fujimori, is one of the leading candidates for the presidential elections in 2011 and promises to free her father if elected.  Though hailed by the international community, the ruling against Fujimori still risks being dissolved.

Praxis Institute for Social Justice relays its observations on its blog, Fujimori on Trial: www.fujimoriontrial.org.  The blog can be consulted for more information on the trial and related issues.