Peru’s former president Alberto Fujimori has been ordered back to jail after the country’s top court overturned his pardon.

CGTN’s Dan Collyns filed this report from Lima.

Just nine months after Alberto Fujimori was granted a humanitarian pardon, the country’s supreme court has ruled former president Alberto Fujimori must return to prison and complete his 25-year jail sentence for human rights crimes and corruption.

The pardon was appealed by the families of the 25 victims of two death squad massacres for which Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2009.

Peruvian police officers guard outside the residence of former President Alberto Fujimori, after a judge annulled a presidential pardon and ordered his immediate capture and return to prison, in Lima, Peru October 3, 2018. (REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo)

Fujimori, who governed Peru between 1990 and 2000 was pardoned on humanitarian grounds last Christmas Eve. The move triggered massive street demonstrations and prompted outrage among relatives of victims of human rights abuses during the former strongman’s rule.

The decision was widely seen as a political deal to save then president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski from impeachment on corruption allegations. Kuczynski resigned in March.

On Wednesday, Judge Hugo Nunez said Fujimori should not have been freed because he didn’t suffer from a terminal illness. That was one of the reasons he was given a medical pardon.

A supporter holds a picture of former President Alberto Fujimori as they wait outside his residence, after a judge annulled a presidential pardon and ordered his immediate capture and return to prison, in Lima, Peru October 3, 2018. (REUTERS/Mariana Bazo)

The former president’s daughter and political heir, Keiko Fujimori told journalists: “This is the saddest day of our lives,” going on to say her father’s lawyer will appeal the court’s decision.

Alberto Fujimori is the figurehead of the party which dominates Peru’s congress and a deeply divisive figure in the country. Peruvians remain bitterly divided over his legacy. His supporters credit him with laying the foundations of the country’s robust economy and defeating the brutal, Maoist Shining Path movement.