Which world governments support Peruvian President Pedro Castillo?
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo is in custody and awaiting trial for his attempted coup. At least one country has offered him asylum should he flee.
Less than 17 months after taking office Peruvian President Pedro Castillo has been ousted from office after being impeached. The vote came after the former school teacher and peasant farmer had attempted to dissolve the national congress, shake up the judiciary and rule the country by decree.
The leftist leader’s tenure at the helm of Peru was tumultuous having survived two previous impeachment votes and being under investigation for multiple corruption and criminal scandals. Castillo is now in custody at the headquarters of the Department of Special Operations in Lima, the capital of Peru, which is the same facility where former President Alberto Fujimori is serving a 25-year jail term.
A court ordered him detained for at least seven days while investigations into his alleged crimes for his coup attempt are carried out. After his arrest and the swearing in of his Vice President Dina Boluarte as the new head of Peru world leaders reacted to events.
Castillo offered asylum in Mexico
Most condemned “the rupture of constitutional order in Peru” but called for “dialogue among all political actors to safeguard democracy.” Others like Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador though blamed “the economic and political elites” for forcing the former leader to go outside the constitutional channels resulting in his ouster.
When Castillo was arrested he was en route to the Mexican embassy in Lima he called Lopez Obrador to request asylum which Mexico has a history of offering to those facing political persecution. However, the fleeing leader got caught in a traffic jam and never arrived.
The Mexican president stated on Twitter his nation’s policy when it comes to turmoil in other nations writing “Non-intervention and self-determination of peoples is a fundamental principle of our foreign policy. That is what we adhere to in the case of what happened in Peru.” At the same time he also left the door open to Castillo to seeking asylum in his nation instructing his foreign minister to open the embassy’s doors to the deposed leader.
World governments react to arrest of Peruvian President Pedro Castillo
Other leaders that spoke out as well to the hardships that Castillo faced as president of Peru. “From the beginning the Peruvian right wing tried to overthrow a government democratically elected by the people, by the humble classes seeking more inclusion and social justice,” wrote Luis Arce, President of Bolivia.
“We regret what happened in the sister Republic of Peru, where we send all our solidarity. The constant harassment of anti-democratic elites against progressive, popular and legitimately constituted governments must be condemned by all. We advocate that democracy, peace and respect for human rights prevail for the benefit of the Peruvian people,” he added.