People in Peru have taken to the streets to pay tribute to their former president, Alberto Fujimori, who died on Wednesday. They are observing three days of national mourning.
Fujimori was the country’s first president of Japanese descent. His daughter, Keiko, said he died after a long battle with cancer. He was 86.
His supporters gathered outside her home to pay their respects.
One woman said: “I feel devastated. I met him. I asked him, ‘What would you do with this serious crisis, what would you do?’ And he had all the solutions; he had them because he was brilliant.”
One man spoke through tears, saying: “I want to address all the Peruvian people, from the coast to the jungle to the highlands. We must always be grateful to Alberto Fujimori for everything he did for our country.”
Fujimori was a political novice when he won the presidency in 1990. He revived the economy and led a fight against rebels who were responsible for a campaign of violence.
In 1997, he devised a plan to end a four-month hostage crisis at the residence of the Japanese ambassador by digging tunnels under the home.
However, he faced criticism for his heavy-handed rule. In 2000, he fled to Japan but ended up back in Peru and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering security forces to murder 25 people.
On Thursday, pallbearers brought his remains to the national museum, where he will lie in state. Family members, politicians and others have gathered in commemoration.