As time passes and the Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir maintains his security in his home country and among the 22 countries of the Arab League, it has been difficult to have faith in international justice. In fact, I blogged about this very issue in the recent past. But having recently seen the progression of justice that has occurred for the former president of Peru, I am regaining hope.
In September of 2007, Chile’s Supreme Court approved the extradition of Peru’s former president Alberto Fujimori. This was a surprise to the globe considering all of Latin America’s—including Chile’s—history of hesitancy to extradite. Alredo Etcheberry, the Chilean lawyer who represented Peru’s government in this case said that “this is a breaking point in international law.” I hope this is the case.
Furthermore, once returned to Peru, the former president was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He is still being tried on additional charges of corruption. Simon Romero of the New York Times related this conviction to its implications on global human rights: “Specialists in international human rights law closely followed the case because of its implications for other former or current heads of state who might face charges of war crimes and other abuses.”
We can understand how this incident truly might have ripple effects regionally, if not globally. An editorialist also at the New York Times mentioned the criticism that the current president, Alan Garcia, is not much better. The columnist astutely responded by highlighting that in the very least, the current president will need to be aware “that Peru’s citizens and its legal system are watching.” This very fear can be extremely powerful and might be the largest incentive to discourage corruption.
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