Speaking in a videotaped message from his hospital bed on Tuesday, Fujimori acknowledged that some people had been "defrauded," and he asked to be forgiven.
"I am aware that the results during my government were well received on one side, but I recognize that I have let down other compatriots," the former president said. "To them, I ask for forgiveness with all my heart."It was the ailing ex-leader's first apology since he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for human rights abuses and corruption.
According to reports, Mr. Fujimori who ruled Peru with an iron grip from 1990 to 2000, was extradited from Chile to Peru in 2007 and sentenced to 25 years in prison for human rights violations that a military death squad carried out under his watch.
He also suspended civil liberties and oversaw a brutal crackdown against the Shining Path, a leftist insurgency.
The public remarks follow after President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski granted him a medical pardon on Sunday, to reward Mr. Fujimori’s son Kenji, a congressman who helped Mr. Kuczynski survive a crucial impeachment vote last week.
However, the pardon sparked a fight as police in Lima clashed with demonstrators angry at the decision by Pablo Kuczynski, the current Peruvian president, to pardon Fujimori.
Police fired tear gas at demonstrators after Mr. Kuczynski announced on Christmas Eve that he believed Fujimori should be spared from serving out his full sentence.
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