A Peruvian court approved this Thursday (29) the 18-month pre-trial detention of former president Pedro Castillo, who was held in a police prison after the failed self-coup attempt on December 7.
“The Supreme Court upheld the ruling establishing the 18-month preventive detention under investigation for the crime of rioting (alternatively, conspiracy to riot) against former President Pedro Castillo,” the judiciary said on Twitter this Thursday.
The arrest warrant for Castillo was given by a court on December 15, but his defense appealed and demanded that the order be overturned as unjustified.
“I’m calling for an end to hate and I want my freedom because it’s a just right. I’ve never been guilty of rebellion,” Castillo said in a virtual audience Wednesday.
“Dear president.
Castillo, a rural teacher and left-wing union leader, said he was isolated and asked the judge to access a phone to contact his wife and two children, who went into exile in Mexico last week.
According to the Ombudsman’s Office, which visited him a week ago with a team from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the former president has been constitutionally impeached by Congress and is being held in prison under legal conditions and without any physical complications. .
Castillo, 53, is being held in Barbadillo prison, inside the headquarters of the Police Special Operations Directorate (Diroes) in the capital.
He is being investigated for crimes of riot and conspiracy for attempting to shut down Congress, interfere with power, and rule by decree, a maneuver with no institutional backing.
Police arrested him hours after he was ousted as he tried to reach the Mexican embassy to seek asylum. Vice President Dina Boluarte took over the government.
Castillo’s fall has sparked violent protests that have already killed 22 people and injured more than 600 in clashes with security forces. Protesters are calling for Boluarte’s resignation, Congress to be closed and the 2023 elections to be awaited.
In an effort to alleviate the crisis, Congress a week ago approved the rescheduling of elections from 2026 to April 2024.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.