Peru’s Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced former leftist president Pedro Castillo to more than 11 years in prison for attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree in a bid to halt impeachment proceedings.
Castillo — often described as Peru’s first poor president — was a former rural schoolteacher with no prior experience in elected office before winning the presidency in 2021. His abrupt attempt to shutter Congress in December 2022, amid looming corruption-related impeachment, led to his swift removal and arrest.
Throughout his 16 months in office, he clashed repeatedly with an opposition-controlled Congress, accusing legislators of seeking to protect entrenched elites. His dramatic move to dissolve the chamber backfired immediately, with even members of his own government refusing to support what prosecutors labeled an attempted coup.
The verdict came just one day after another left-wing former president, Martín Vizcarra, received a 14-year sentence for taking bribes as a regional governor. Vizcarra has now joined two other former leaders — Ollanta Humala (2011–2016) and Alejandro Toledo (2001–2006) — at a special penitentiary for ex-presidents east of Lima.
Castillo, 56, had been held in the same facility while awaiting trial, conducted in a courtroom adjacent to the prison. He rose to power promising to uplift Peru’s poor, but after announcing the dissolution of Congress, he was detained en route to the Mexican embassy — where he sought asylum for himself and his family. His wife and two children have lived in exile ever since.
In an hours-long session, the Supreme Court convicted Castillo of “conspiracy to commit rebellion” against “the powers of the state and the constitutional order.” He was acquitted on separate charges of abuse of power and disturbing public order. His sentence 11 years, five months, and 15 days fell far short of the 34 years sought by prosecutors.
Dozens of his supporters gathered outside the prison as the ruling was announced.
“We are suffering for our president because he didn’t steal a single sol. An innocent man is imprisoned here. We demand justice,” said 54-year-old Julia Buendía.
‘Unfriendly act’
Castillo’s former prime minister, Betssy Chávez, also found guilty as a co-conspirator, received an 11½-year sentence. She had already secured asylum at the Mexican embassy before the eight-month trial concluded, a move that angered Lima and prompted Peru to sever diplomatic ties with Mexico over alleged interference. Interim president José Jeri has not ruled out ordering police to enter the embassy to detain her.
Castillo’s fall triggered massive protests across Peru’s rural and working-class regions in 2022. The demonstrations were met with violent repression, leaving at least 50 people dead. His successor, former vice-president Dina Boluarte, governed through nearly two years of political turmoil and a deepening security crisis before she, too, was impeached in October. Jeri, then speaker of Congress, assumed the presidency.
Peru has now cycled through seven presidents since 2016, three removed by Congress, two resigning to escape impeachment, and only one completing an interim term.
AFP
