Lima, April 07 (teleSUR-RHC) Hundreds marched on Sunday to protest the regime of authoritarian ex-president Fujimori’s and the political forces that continue to defend him and his policies.
The date marked 23 years since Fujimori closed down congress in 1992 and started a process that ended with crimes against humanity, massive corruption scandals, and forcing neoliberal policies onto the population.
Participants called for reflecting upon the historical events of the 1990’s and to ensure that they are not repeated.
Although Fujimori is serving a prison sentence of 25 years for crimes against humanity and corruption, a significant number of Peruvians – around 30 percent – still support him and plan to vote for his daughter, Keiko Fujimori, for president in 2016.
The march reached the Government Palace, where the president resides, filling up the front of it with large and small signs, and several visual aids to remind people of the human rights violations during the Fujimori regime. Presentations included a woman dressed as a geisha to recall the dozens of women journalists who served Fujimori by hiding his crimes and attacking his enemies in exchange for promotions or cash payments.
A coffin was also paraded representing the death of democracy and giant Cantuta Flowers were shown denoting the students massacred at University of Cantuta. Signs also evoked the massacre in Barrios Altos were 15 people were murdered by intelligence forces at home including an eight year old child.
Other highlighted the buying off of judges, prosecutors, congress representatives, and media moguls all recorded on VHS tapes that eventually were shown to the public.
Members of the organization, “No to Keiko”, who helped undermine the campaign of Fujimori’s daughter in her presidential bid at the previous elections, hope this march marks the beginning of new movement to prevent “Fujimorism” from taking back the executive. The march takes place every year but this one added the participation of the new movement called “the Zones” that was formed during the struggle in January of 2015 to protect labor rights for those under 25 years of age.
