Peru's ex-president Fujimori demands forgiveness

lima - The former authoritarian president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, asked Tuesday for forgiveness 'from the bottom of my heart' to the Peruvian people he had disappointed, and thanked President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski for giving his grace on Christmas Eve.

In a video posted on Facebook, Fujimori promised from a hospital bed that he, as a free man, supported Kuczynski's call for the reconciliation of the country.

The remarks were Fujimori's first explicit apology to the Andes country and after two days of unrest, Kuczynski unexpectedly announced that he had pardoned him. On Monday Kuczynski called on the Peruvians to 'turn the page'.

The pardon reached a line through Fujimori's previous conviction for fraud and crimes against humanity during his right-wing government from 1990-2000.