A group of children hold up their mobile phones with the year 1993 on their screens. The synchronization between all the teams evokes the presence of a small flying machine containing a brain called Memoriax, which appears in front of them as the one that “memorizes history as it happened” and tells them it’s set in the 1990s after going to Peru. This scene opens the “Political Constitution of Peru” for school children, the latest book from the editorial fund of the Peruvian Congress, which drew criticism in public opinion this week for falsifying a sensitive event for the country: the self-coup of former Peru President Alberto Fujimori, which took place on April 5, 1992.
The Comic Code publication was presented in one of the Parliament Halls during the fortnight of July and later went on sale at the last edition of the Lima International Book Fair. But its existence had gone unnoticed. Until a few days ago, Congresswoman Ruth Luque from the Cambio Democrático-Juntos por el Perú faction reviewed one of the copies and condemned its content on social networks. “Can the resources of Congress be used to rewrite history and teach schoolchildren lies? “It is unacceptable to justify the Fujimori coup by saying that it was the right option,” he questions right from the start.
Cover of the Constitution. With kind approval
It was revealed that the book cost the Peruvian state 24,700 soles ($6,700) and that five thousand copies were printed. No author or illustrator of the cartoons is named on the credit list, but there are three officers who belong to the ranks of Fujimorismo: Martha Moyano, President of the Congressional Editorial Fund Council; and former Congressmen Milagros Takayama Jiménez and Milagros Salazar de la Torre, who hold the positions of Editor-in-Chief and Editor-General, respectively.
Page 22 has generated the most outrage. It is a cartoon depicting the message to the nation sent by Alberto Fujimori on the night of Sunday April 5, 1992, when he dissolved the Congress of the Republic and abolished the judicial system. A self-coup, also known as the Fujimorazo. However, the act of Keiko Fujimori’s father is not given this name either in the illustration or on any of the 140 pages of the book, but is also justified by the fact that it was done for the benefit of Peru.
“He annulled the 1979 constitution in order to restore peace to us and rebuild the country’s economy. “This measure made it possible to overcome the problems that threatened all Peruvians and to restore calm on the national territory,” the publication says. For various political actors, this statement is not only untrue but also dangerous as it advocates a dictatorial measure and, moreover, it is aimed at a young and youthful audience. In addition, just eight months ago, former President Pedro Castillo attempted a self-coup, which is why he was remanded in custody for the alleged crime of rebellion.
“We see once again how the resources of the institutional apparatus, such as the Congress, which should serve as the voice of Peruvians, are used as a partisan tool to spread lies.” The Fujimorists wanted this lie about who Alberto Fujimori was for years spread. Of course, with that speech and those lies, they have failed politically on several occasions, and now that they have conquered Parliament, they believe that with the resources of Congress, they will be able to rewrite history,” condemned former MP Indira Huilca.
One of the sites that talks about Fujimori’s self-coup. With kind approval
On the other hand, there are those who consider that the content of Peru’s political constitution for school children is the cause of the crime of apology described in Article 316 of the Penal Code. “Anyone who publicly glorifies, justifies or glorifies a crime or the person convicted of a judgment, as the author or participant, shall be punished with imprisonment for not less than one year and not more than four years,” the article reads. “This is the case of Fujimori, who is in prison,” constitutional lawyer Omar Cairo told Epicentro TV.
For Franco García, also a constitutionalist, one of the book’s flaws is that it does not clearly distinguish the content of the 1993 constitution and the 1992 self-coup. “You lie subtly. In this coup, not only was Congress dissolved, but the Lima Bar Association and the entire radio, print and television press intervened with their open signal, as well as other institutions such as the Constitutional Court. “The children deserve the truth because before long they will be the ones leading the country in important positions of state,” notes García.
On page 23, the book seeks to support the 1993 Constitution, whose amendment is a matter of debate in every electoral process. “Remember, my friends, that 80 members of Congress from various political parties participated in the implementation of this Constitution (…). The Peruvian people voted “yes” by 55.3%, the publication said. As compared to official figures, the referendum to adopt the Magna Carta saw a massive absence of almost three and a half million Peruvians out of a voting population of 11 million, 620,000. But the 55.3% mentioned in the book are also wrong: the Yes won with 52.3% of the valid votes. In addition, the plurality of the parliament is distorted, since it does not take into account that 44 of the 80 congressmen were supporters of Fujimori.
So far, there has been no comment from President Dina Boluarte, nor from any executive branch, nor from the country’s prosecutor’s office.
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