Peru's Supreme Court presents arrest warrant for Fujimori to Interpol
( 2001-10-10 14:02 ) (8 )

The Peruvian Supreme Court presented on Tuesday to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) an arrest warrant against former President Alberto Fujimori on charges of human rights abuses.

Judge Jose Luis Lecaros told journalists that on the same day he had handed to the Lima branch of Interpol the file for the arrest of the disgraced president, an action aimed at paving the way for an extradition.

Lecaros started actions against Fujimori in September after receiving an official indictment from the Attorney General's office, which issued a constitutional accusation approved by Congress to charge Fujimori with responsibility for the death of 25 people in Lima in the early 1990s.

Fujimori fled to Japan in November when his rule collapsed, and was granted citizenship shortly after his arrival. Japanese law prohibits the extradition of its citizens to stand trial for crimes committed in other countries, and Japanese officials have repeatedly said they have no intention to force Fujimori to return.