Antauro Humala, the brother of a former Peruvian president and leader of a failed 2005 uprising, was released early from prison on Saturday, hinting at a return to politics.
The sibling of former president Ollanta Humala and an ex-military officer is the leader of Peru’s Ethnocacerist ethnic nationalist movement that seeks to put the country’s Indigenous peoples in power.
The movement is inspired by the ancient Inca empire, a 19th century war hero, as well as a left-wing general who led a coup in 1968.
Antauro Humala served more than 17 years of a 19-year prison term handed down for the 2005 uprising, which sought to force the resignation of democratically elected president Alejandro Toledo.
He and supporters attacked a police station in the southern Andean city of Andahuaylas, leaving six people dead, including four police officers.
“We all feel very proud of what we did in Andahuaylas,” Antauro Humala said after his release from the Ancon II prison in northern Lima.
A handful of supporters waited outside the facility chanting “President Antauro”.
The 59-year-old has long been a media obsession thanks to his wide-ranging eccentricities.
His lawyer Carmen Huidobro hinted at a return to politics after his release, saying: “It is possible that (Antauro) will resume political life, it is likely that he will run for some office.”
Antauro’s sentence was reduced due to time spent dedicated to work and education, the country’s prison authority announced in a surprise decision on Friday night, under a law that allowed him to deduct one year and seven months.
During the 2021 election campaign, current leftist President Pedro Castillo proposed pardoning Humala, but once in power he never spoke publicly about the issue again.
Antauro and Ollanta Humala, a retired lieutenant-colonel, are longtime political rivals but in 2000 they led a rebellion against president Alberto Fujimori, who is serving a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity committed during his presidency.
Ollanta was president between 2011 and 2016 and repeatedly refused to pardon his brother.
He governed as a centrist, splitting from Antauro’s political positions.
Both Ollanta and Antauro were raised in an upper middle class home in Lima, where their father Ulises pushed them to become political leaders.
Antauro tried to maintain political relevance from prison by making alliances with Peruvian parties.
He still maintains a following and a handful of supporters were waiting outside prison for his release, according to local media.
Antauro Humala speaks to the press after his release from the Piedras Gordas II prison in Ancon, Peru.
