Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori admitted on Wednesday
that he planned the 1992 coup, but denied knowledge of killings and
kidnappings.
"I took the decision personally although I needed the support of
the armed forces," he said during an interrogation by chief
prosecutor Jose Pelaez at the purpose-built courtroom in the
National Special Operations Directorate building, 7 km from the
capital Lima.
The former president, ruling the country from 1990 to 2000, said
his intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos also attended planning
meetings for the coup on April 5, 1992, when soldiers detained
leaders of the upper and lower houses of Peru's legislature,
senator Felipe Osterling and congressman Roberto Ramirez.
However, Fujimori denied he had given orders for, or been told
about, arrests of politicians and journalists during the coup, and
in particular, he denied knowing who ordered the arrest of
journalist Gustavo Gorriti, describing it as "a complete surprise
to me."
Fujimori was sentenced earlier this month to six years in prison
for abuse of power. He is standing a second trial on charges of
murder, kidnapping and corruption.
Fujimori was charged with ordering a massacre in the Lima suburb
of Barrios Altos in 1991 and the 1992 kidnapping of a group of
students and teachers at Lima's La Cantuta University, none of whom
were ever seen again.
He was also charged with the kidnapping of journalist Gustavo
Gorriti and businessman Samuel Dyer.
"I do not give orders," Fujimori said, describing his official
role as the supreme chief of the armed forces as "symbolic rather
than operative."
He restated his earlier claims that neither his ministers, nor
armed forces chiefs, nor even intelligence chiefs had given him
details of any massacres.
The 69-year-old Fujimori also denied any part in the
mistreatment of Alan Garcia, who was Fujimori's predecessor as
president from 1985 to 1990. Garcia was re-elected last year.
Meanwhile, research firm CPI reported that 56.2 percent of Lima
residents believed Fujimori is directly responsible for both
massacres although another 29.5 percent said he is innocent.
CPI said if those surveyed could set a sentence, Fujimori would
be jailed for 30 years.
Some 59 percent believed he is receiving a fair trial, while
35.1 percent said the trial is biased. A further 53.7 percent held
him guilty in a case involving an illegal break-in and search at
the home of Trinidad Becerra, wife of his jailed former
intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos.
Fujimori fled to Japan in 2000 to escape a corruption scandal
involving alleged bribes to legislators, and stayed there for five
years. In 2005, he flew to Chile, where he might have been
preparing for a return to politics in Peru.
The former Peruvian leader was arrested in November 2005 in
Chile and extradited to Peru in September.
(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2007)
