The Chilean Supreme Court's decision last week to hand over former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori to Peru reportedly marked the first ever extradition of a former Latin American head of state on human rights charges. What is the significance of the ruling for the cause of protecting human rights in Latin America?

Will it deter would-be human rights violators in the region? The fact that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori saved his country from terrorism should not be forgotten. He also pressed the fight against illegal drug production that fueled the terrorists who slaughtered innocent civilians and pushed Peru to the brink of anarchy. Recall that Sendero Luminoso cut its teeth trying to decimate democrats, not battling a military regime. Its target was the state, the very governability of Peru. The tragedy is that Fujimori abused his claim to absolute power and spun a web of political and personal corruption, abetted by his willing henchman Vladimiro Montesinos. Faced with an end to Fujimori's constitutional term, the duo realized they were too compromised to face the future without the protection of the state. They rigged the Constitution, smashed democratic institutions, and tried to steal one too many elections before they were caught. We all knew Fujimori saved Peru; we discovered later that he was saving it for himself. Had Fujimori left office after two terms, he would have been able to claim a remarkable legacy. But he didn't. So, now his fate will be a lesson to autocrats who win power through democratic elections and then put state institutions at the service of their own interests and greed. It is a remarkable achievement for Chilean justice that its courts dispatched with this issue in a transparent and responsible way. And it will be a tough but vital service that Peruvian courts must now perform in judging Fujimori. Perhaps Peruvians now will give President Alejandro Toledo credit for the steady work he did recovering their broken institutions.

Roger F. Noriega is a visiting fellow at AEI. His law and advocacy firm, Tew Cardenas, LLP, represents U.S. and foreign governments and companies.