Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Peru, however, hadn't heard the last of
Fujimori. In 2005, he returned to South Amer-
ica, only to be arrested in Chile on long-stand-
ing charges of corruption, kidnapping and
human-rights violations. He was extradited to
Peru in 2007 and, that same year, was con-
victed of ordering an illegal search. Two years
later, he was convicted of ordering extra-judicial killings, and three months after that, was
convicted of channeling millions of dollars in state funds to Montesinos. In 2009, he also
pleaded guilty to wiretapping and bribery. He is currently serving 25 years in prison.
Montesinos, in the meantime, is doing 20 - for bribery and selling arms to Colombian
rebels.
A classic of the genre, John Hemming's
The Con-
quest of the Incas,
first published in 1970, is a
must-read for anyone wanting to understand the
rise and fall of the short-lived Inca empire.
IN THE WAKE OF THE INTERNAL CONFLICT
One of the most remarkable things to come out of Alejandro Toledo's presidency (2001-06) was the establish-
ment of the country's Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación (Truth & Reconciliation Commission), which ex-
amined the innumerable acts of mass violence from the Internal Conflict (1980-2000). Though the panel wasn't
endowed with prosecutorial powers, its public hearings nonetheless proved to be an emotional and cathartic act.
Men and women of all ages and races came forward to testify to the massacres, rapes and disappearances that had
occurred at the hands of the military and various guerrilla groups during this terrible period.
In August of 2003, the commission issued its final report, revealing that the death toll from that era was more
than twice the original estimate: almost 70,000 people had been killed or disappeared. Along with the final report,
the commission also staged an exhibit of photography called
Yuyanapaq
('to remember' in Quechua) that is now
housed at Lima's Museo de la Nación (
Click here
)
. Even as the years pass, this poignant installation remains a
profoundly moving experience.
