Petro says Castillo made a mistake, but argues Peru is ‘cornered’

Colombian President Gustavo Petro made a series of posts on Twitter today about the impeachment of Peru’s former President Pedro Castillo. Petro said Castillo’s attempt to dissolve Congress was wrong, but he also defended it and became the first world leader to support the impeached president.

“Pedro Castillo was cornered from day one because he was a professor from the Peruvian Sierra and a popularly elected president. He failed to mobilize those who elected him; he allowed himself to be driven to political and democratic suicide,” said Petro.

The Colombian said Castillo was “undoubtedly wrong” in trying to “use the article of the Peruvian Constitution that allows for the dissolution of Congress, which has decided to impeach him without respecting the will of the people”.

“Anti-democracy cannot be fought with anti-democracy,” said Petro. He also stressed, without giving any names, that resolving the institutional crisis would not be up to the new president, Dina Boluarte, but that the mission would be for the “People of Peru”.

The Colombian president also asked the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to act in Castillo’s favor because “his right to vote and be elected and to have an independent Court of Justice is violated”.

understand the event

Earlier yesterday afternoon (Peru time), Pedro Castillo announced to the nation that he would dissolve the National Convention. and set up an “extraordinary government of emergency” to call for new elections and then change the country’s constitution. Peruvian newspapers described the action as a coup attempt.

Congress stepped forward for several hours and discussed Castillo’s dismissal for approved “moral incompetence.” Shortly after, the then MP Dina Boluarte assumed the leadership of the country.

Meanwhile, Castillo entered a presidential protection vehicle with his wife and one of his daughters, and the then chief of staff. The target was unknown to the military, which carried out the presidential escort. Just halfway through, Castillo’s driver, Sergeant Josspeh Michael Grandez López, was told to go to the Mexican Embassy, ​​he reported to the National Police.

Minutes later, Grandez López received a phone call from General Iván Lizzeti Salazar, head of the state’s National Police, who ordered Castillo’s arrest for riot, abuse of power, and violation of power.

The driver, on order, stopped the perimeter and proceeded with the arrest of Pedro Castillo. He then took her to the Lima Municipality headquarters for due diligence.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said in an interview with Mexican TV that his country’s government would grant Castillo asylum. However, the Peruvian did not make such a request.