Peruvian authorities have appealed to Chile's Supreme Court against a ruling this week blocking the extradition of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who stands accused of committing a string of human rights crimes and corruption offenses.
The move was announced Thursday by Peruvian prosecutor Carlos Briceno, who said his country had received a fax from the Chilean Supreme Court confirming that the appeal had been "lodged."
Briceno said he was "disappointed" with Chilean judge Orlando Alvarez's decision to bar the extradition.
But the prosecutor called on Peruvians to stay calm, as he believed Chile's Supreme Court would approve the extradition request.
The Supreme Court, which has the final say on the case, is expected to take at least three months to make a ruling.
At least 200 people Wednesday gathered outside the Chilean embassy in Lima in protest at Alvarez's ruling.
Brandishing banners, the protestors shouted "murderer," "criminal" and "thief" in reference to Fujimori.
They also called on the Peruvian government to continue its fight for Fujimori to pay the price for what they called "two-terms of crime."
On Wednesday morning, judge Alvarez rejected the extradition request presented by the Peruvian government, saying Peruvian prosecutors had failed to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt Fujimori's involvement in death squads and corruption.
The Peruvian government has accused Fujimori of bribery, misusing government funds and sanctioning 25 death squad killings during his 1990-2000 rule.
Fujimori, 68, fled to Japan in 2000 after his government collapsed amid corruption scandals. The son of Japanese parents, he claimed Japanese citizenship on reaching the country, and the Japanese government has since ignored repeated extradition requests from Peru, where he faces 10 charges of corruption and two relating to human rights violations.
The former president arrived unexpectedly in Chile in November 2005 on a private flight from Japan. He is now being held under house arrest in the Chicureao neighborhood on the outskirts of Chile's capital Santiago.
Source: Xinhua
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