Forced sterilization of indigenous women: For the time being, no trial against Peru's ex

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Protests against the forced sterilization of hundreds of thousands of women in front of the Supreme Court in Lima (archive picture)

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Martin Mejia / AP

Peru's ex-president Alberto Fujimori will not be brought to justice for the time being because of the forced sterilization of hundreds of thousands of women.

A judge ruled on Friday that criminal prosecution was not possible because the charge was not included in the extradition request for Fujimori.

Fujimori, who ruled Peru from 1990 to 2000, is held responsible for the forced sterilization of more than 270,000 poor and mostly indigenous women.

The 83-year-old is serving a long sentence in Peru for corruption and crimes against humanity.

Fujimori fled to Japan in 2000 on charges of corruption.

He was arrested in Chile in 2005, extradited to Peru in 2007 and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Fujimori's government had launched a family planning program in 1996, which was officially considered a measure to reduce poverty: It was intended to reduce the birth rate and stimulate economic growth in the South American country.

The sterilizations were officially voluntary, but numerous women, some of whom spoke no Spanish at all, said they were sterilized against their will.

18 women died after the procedure.

The legal proceedings, in which more than 1,300 plaintiffs are involved, began as early as 2002, but were discontinued and resumed several times.

Judge Rafael Martínez has now ruled that an indictment of Fujimori for compulsory sterilization must be approved by the Chilean Supreme Court, which had given the go-ahead for extradition at the time.

afp / dak