Fujimori’s Jailbreak and the Blurring Line Between Governments and Crime
Peru’s former dictator, Alberto Fujimori, has managed to escape prison, not by digging a tunnel, but through the intervention of the country’s highest court. His early release in December raises concerns about the growing problem in Latin America, where the distinction between governments and criminal organizations is becoming increasingly unclear.
A Checkered Past
Alberto Fujimori, now 85 years old, was serving a 25-year sentence for authorizing extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, and embezzling $15 million during his decade-long rule that ended in 2000. However, Peru’s Constitutional Court disregarded his debt to society and reinstated a presidential pardon, a move that blatantly violated international law. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights had expressly forbidden Peru from shortening Fujimori’s sentence. Yet, as Peru’s democracy teetered on the brink of chaos, Fujimori’s influential family worked to install sympathetic judges in the court.
A Broader Problem in Latin America
Fujimori’s release is not an isolated incident. Across the region, politicians are actively undermining the state’s ability to combat corruption and organized crime. In Guatemala, lawmakers implicated in corruption scandals are fighting to prevent President-elect Bernardo Arévalo, an anti-corruption advocate, from assuming office. In Ecuador, violent gangs are gaining power by co-opting public officials. In Mexico and Brazil, drug cartels and paramilitary groups exert control over local governments.
A Weakening Defense
While Latin America’s democracies have shown resilience in the face of inequality, violence, and economic challenges, they are struggling to effectively counter the growing influence of organized crime. Over the past four decades, the region’s illicit economies, particularly the global cocaine trade, have thrived, giving rise to sophisticated transnational criminal organizations. These groups have infiltrated legal sectors by laundering their vast wealth and expanding their illegal operations, including extortion, illegal resource extraction, and human smuggling.
The Dangerous Union of Mafias and Governments
Organized crime cannot flourish without state protection, and Latin American mafias have made it their mission to capture parts of the government. They have been as successful in amassing political power as any political party in the region. Lawmakers, police forces, courts, and even presidents have been bribed or coerced into ensuring the smooth flow of drugs, resources, and people, often destined for the United States. Today, Latin America operates under a hybrid form of government, where both democratic institutions and criminal organizations wield power, sometimes in competition and sometimes in collaboration.
The Growing Threat
What was once limited to major drug-producing countries and trafficking routes has expanded to new territories. Previously peaceful countries like Ecuador are now grappling with violent gangs specializing in extortion, leading to a significant increase in migration. Even in traditionally safe countries like Costa Rica, there has been a surge in killings. Ports in Chile and Uruguay are gaining importance in the cocaine trade.
A Call for Action
When criminal organizations and governments merge, corruption and violence reach extreme levels, often leading people to accept authoritarian alternatives. However, Latin America has demonstrated that independent prosecutors, judges, and police can effectively combat organized crime. Countries like Colombia, Guatemala, and Peru, post-Fujimori, have successfully convicted numerous public officials involved in aiding criminal organizations, significantly weakening the mafias’ hold on power. Anti-corruption reforms are crucial in supporting these prosecutions, although they often face political resistance. The United States can play a vital role by providing financial and logistical support, given its substantial drug demand and contribution to the region’s crime problem.
A Glimmer of Hope
While Fujimori appeared to be an outlier in the 1990s when most Latin American countries transitioned to democracies, in retrospect, he was a harbinger of challenges to come. However, Peru managed to turn the tide and overcome his authoritarian regime. This raises the possibility that Latin America as a whole can overcome its current challenges and build stronger, more resilient democracies.
Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, believes it is crucial for Latin America, with all its successes and failures, to confront the rising threat of organized crime and work towards a more secure future.