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Verdict due in Fujimori's trial Verdict due in Fujimori's trial
(about 5 hours later)
A court in Peru is set to hand down its verdict in the trial of former President Alberto Fujimori on charges of human-rights abuses. Judges at a special court in Peru are set to deliver their verdict shortly in the trial of former President Alberto Fujimori on human rights abuse charges.
The 70-year-old is accused of responsibility for two death-squad massacres which killed 25 people. He is accused of responsibility for two death-squad massacres which killed 25 people in the early 1990s at the height of Peru's conflict with guerrillas.
He denies the charges, but faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Mr Fujimori, who denies the charges, faces up to 30 years if convicted.
Mr Fujimori is currently serving a six-year sentence for a separate trial in which he was found guilty of abuse of power in 2007. He is currently serving a six-year term after being found guilty in 2007 on separate charges of abuse of power.
The BBC's Candace Piette in Lima says this is the first time a Latin American president has been tried in his country for human-rights abuses. The trial, taking place at a special-forces police base on the outskirts of the capital, Lima, is the first time a democratically elected Latin American leader has been tried in his own country for human rights abuses.
At the end of the 15-month televised "mega trial", the former leader told the court that the charges against him were motivated by revenge and exaggerated. As the 15-month televised "mega trial" neared its end, the former leader on Friday told the court that the charges against him were exaggerated and were motivated by revenge.
FUJIMORI CHARGES 1991 Barrios Altos killings: 15 dead1992 La Cantuta killings: 10 dead1992 illegal detention: journalist Gustavo Gorriti and businessman Samuel DyerSeparate trial on corruption and illegal wiretapping charges Head to head: Fujimori verdict Profile: Alberto Fujimori FUJIMORI CHARGES 1991 Barrios Altos killings: 15 dead1992 La Cantuta killings: 10 dead1992 illegal detention: journalist Gustavo Gorriti and businessman Samuel DyerSeparate trial on corruption and illegal wiretapping charges Head to head: Fujimori verdict Profile: Alberto Fujimori
There was no proof, he said, that he had overseen a death squad as part of a "dirty war" against suspected Maoist Shining Path guerrillas in the early 1990s.There was no proof, he said, that he had overseen a death squad as part of a "dirty war" against suspected Maoist Shining Path guerrillas in the early 1990s.
His testimony followed that of more than 80 witnesses in over 150 court sessions. "I completely reject that I gave any orders in an allegedly parallel system to put into practice a dirty war to defeat terrorism," he said.
Mr Fujimori resigned as president in 2000 while in Tokyo. Accusing the authorities of double stands, he asked why leaders of other Peruvian governments under which killings allegedly occurred were not on trial.
He stayed there for the next five years before flying to Chile in 2005, where he was arrested. His testimony followed that of more than 80 witnesses in more than 150 court sessions.
Two years later he was extradited to Peru. The prosecution has argued that Mr Fujimori authorised the counter-insurgency actions of a death squad known as La Colina that killed 25 people in 1991 and 1992.
Mr Fujimori is also accused of ordering the brief abduction of a journalist and a businessman.
Some Peruvians remain vocal in their support for the former president
Mr Fujimori's decade in power came to a dramatic end in November 2000 when he fled to to his parents' native Japan in the wake of a bribery scandal involving his intelligence chief.
He spent five years in self-imposed exile in Japan before flying to Chile in 2005, where he was arrested. Two years later he was extradited to Peru to stand trial.
Proceedings over the past 15 months have frequently been held up because of Mr Fujimori's poor health.
Tuesday's verdict may not be the end of the matter. Not only have both sides indicated they would appeal if the decision goes against them, Mr Fujimori is also still a political figure.
He is popular among those Peruvians who credit him with saving the country from rebel insurgency and economic collapse. He also has 13 supporters in Peru's 120-member congress, among them his daughter Keiko.
She has not formally announced her candidature for the 2011 elections. But the 33-year-old was the front-runner in a recent Lima-based opinion poll.
She has said she would not hesitate to pardon her father if she became Peru's president.