What was the arrest of Pedro Castillo in Peru like: frenetic minutes, desperate phone calls and the final decision

Pedro Castillo had planned to travel to the Mexican embassy in Lima’s elegant San Isidro neighborhood shortly after delivering his message to the nation and especially before the plenary session of the Peruvian Congress ruled on his motion to dismiss.

According to the newspaper Business, in Lima, after 1:00 pm local time (3:00 pm in Argentina), when Congress, in defiance of the president, met to discuss his “vacancy” (removal) left from the back of the Government Palace. He was accompanied by his former Prime Minister Aníbal Torres and his custody entourage from the Peruvian National Police (PNP) State Security.

There, the driver was told to arrive at the Mexican embassy. The car took the avenue Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, which he considered the most direct route. Everything seemed to go according to plan. But in parallel it was taking place a meeting at the PNP General Command that changed everythingrevealed Business.

According to sources in that newspaper, after giving his message and announcing the unconstitutional closure of Congress, Castillo contacted PNP commander general Raúl Alfaro (who is on medical leave) asking for support. Alfaro replied that he did not agree with what he had done and that his position was with the preservation of the constitutional order.

At the same time, the same sources indicated that Willy Huerta, now a former interior minister, called the PNP chief of staff, Vicente Álvarez – who was in charge of the headquarters in place of Alfaro – to authorize the protesters to enter the Plaza de Armas because Castillo wanted to give a message. Nor did he get an affirmative answer.

According to the sources of Business, Alfaro summoned the High Command of the PNP to decide the institutional position against the coup that was being perpetrated. The police authorities joined the position of not supporting the provisions of the then president. And it was also concluded that it was acting in the act (crime of rebellion) by ordering the closure of Congress.

The arrest

The decision had been made: Castillo was to be arrested and those in charge would be the members of the State Security, that is, his escort, who was with him at the time.

Meanwhile, the PNP Special Squad was already working on the version of Castillo’s intention to lock himself up in an embassy. PNP Colonels Walter Lozano (Bica) and Harvey Colchado (René) decided to act. As a precaution, Lozano and his team went to the Mexican embassy and Colchado to the Cuban embassy.

The two were determined to arrest Castillo because they knew he had committed the crime of rebellion in flagrante delicto. Furthermore, they were aware that the now former president had taken his family from the Palace. Everything seemed to point to it what he sought was asylum or flee the country.

While all this was happening, in Av. Inca Garcilazo de la Vega, before reaching the intersection with Av. España, the driver was ordered to proceed with the arrest, according to police sources.

To Castillo’s surprise, the gray van with tinted windows in which he was traveling stopped and, together with the personnel of the Tactical Actions Subunit, the arrest was carried out and he was taken to the headquarters of the Prefecture of Lima where the headquarters of the regional police station of the capital is located.

Almost simultaneously, the plenary session of Congress approved Castillo’s vacancy by 101 votes.

Not even two hours had passed since he announced his coup. The president until then became a prisoner.

It was just after 1.40pm. The then president was taken to the headquarters of the Prefecture of Lima. A few minutes later, the national prosecutor, Patricia Benavides, arrived and took her statement. The adventure of the coup was over.

Shortly thereafter, Dina Boluarte, Castillo’s vice president since he came to power on July 28, 2021, was sworn in before Congress as the country’s new president. Now it’s her turn to face the deep political crisis.

Crisis, challenges and great uncertainty

Uncertainty weighs on Peru this Thursday, the first day of presidency of Dina Boluarte, who asked the opposition for a truce to overcome the institutional crisis after the sudden dismissal and arrest of Castillo, accused of a failed coup.

Boluarte, a 60-year-old lawyer, is due to form her first ministerial cabinet in the next few hours, which will allow her to take the pulse of her government’s direction and glimpse her chances of surviving the political storm that haunts her from Parliament.

The new president asked on Wednesday for dialogue between all political forces and assured Wednesday that she was willing to govern until July 2026, when Castillo’s mandate should end.

His initial decisions will be crucial as to whether he will achieve that goal or whether he will have to resign himself to stepping aside and calling for an early general election.

Source: writing by clarionwith information from agencies e Business

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