Peru: Mr. Pedro Castillo, Peru’s ousted President, has appeared in court on the charges of rebellion and conspiracy.
The court will decide whether Mr. Castillo should be held in preliminary detention as he faces charges for “breaching constitutional order” after his failed attempt to shut down congress and rule by decree until new elections.
Mr. Castillo’s was removed from power hours later lawmakers accused him of staging a coup. The lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to remove the President in a scheduled impeachment vote, thwarting his last-ditch attempt to hold on to power.
In recent years, the Andean country has experienced intense political instabilities, with five presidents in the last five years, all of whom were unable to complete their elected terms.
Mr. Castillo, who came to power after a narrow election victory in June 2021 by just 44,000 votes, simultaneously faced separate corruption allegations.
Mr. Victor Perez, Mr. Castillo’s lawyer, rejected the charges by stating that such an act implies use of weapons and violence, which he noted never occurred. The lawyer called his client’s detention “illegal” and “arbitrary.”
According to the statements of Mexico’s foreign minister, the ousted President has requested asylum in Mexico as well as Mexican and Peruvian authorities are in consultation over the request. Mexican President Mr. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has declared that he would be open to granting asylum to Mr. Castillo, a fellow leftist.
Ms. Dina Boluarte, Castillo’s vice president, became the South American country’s new president after the impeachment, making her the sixth president in five years and the first woman to lead the nation of 33 million people.