Story highlights Alberto Fujimori was serving 25 years for human rights abuses

He was taken to a Lima hospital Saturday

(CNN) Peru's President on Sunday pardoned former leader Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a 25-year prison for human rights abuses, citing the failing health of the ex-president.

The Christmas Eve pardon was met with street protests and condemnation from some lawmakers, who questioned whether there was a political deal behind what current President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's office described as a humanitarian gesture.

Kuczynski's pardon of Fujimori comes less than a week after the current president survived an impeachment hearing stemming from a corruption scandal that has swept Latin America.

Fujimori "suffers from a progressive, degenerative and incurable disease," according to a statement from Kuczynski's office. "Prison conditions mean a serious risk to his life, health and integrity."

On Saturday, Fujimori, 79, was transferred to a Lima hospital after experiencing a drop in blood pressure and a heart arrhythmia, his doctor told reporters.

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