Obituary: Alberto Fujimori – BBC News

Most voters cited his victories over left-wing insurgents and hyperinflation as the reason for giving him their support.

One of the key moments of his presidency was the hostage siege by Marxist MRTA rebels at the Japanese ambassador’s residence in Lima in 1996-97.

After a four-month stand-off, commandos were sent in to take the building.

All 14 rebels were killed and nearly all the 72 hostages were rescued in an operation that at the time cemented Mr Fujimori’s reputation of a man of action.

In his second term though, a growing number of Peruvians began to voice concern that the methods used against the insurgency were also being employed against the president’s democratic opponents.

His critics accused him of using the intelligence service led by Vladimiro Montesinos to intimidate and spy on rivals.

They said he exerted unfair control on the media and the judiciary, and used government resources to support his own campaigns.

This criticism increased when he announced he was to stand for an unprecedented third successive term.