Betsy Chavez’s request for protection at the Mexican Embassy has intensified international interest in the case of former President Pedro Castillo and his entourage, after the Peruvian Supreme Court issued a national and international arrest warrant against the former Prime Minister. This decision, reported by Europa Press, adds to the recent conviction against Castillo and former ministers of his government, following the coup attempt that took place in December 2022. According to Europa Press, the court sentenced Castillo to eleven years, five months and fifteen days in prison, finding him guilty only of conspiracy to rebel and dropping charges of abuse of power or serious disruption of public order.
According to Europa Press, the Special Criminal Chamber published the ruling on Thursday, marking a significant difference with the original request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which called for a sentence of up to 34 years for Castillo. The main accusation referred to the dissolution of Congress and the declaration of an emergency government, events that led to his immediate dismissal and arrest on December 7, 2022. The Prosecutor General’s Office considered the use of state agencies to facilitate the act of rebellion an aggravating circumstance, but justice focused on what it considered proven: the rebellion plot.
In the final stage of the judicial process, Europa Press explained, Castillo maintained his innocence and denounced the alleged bias in the court responsible for the case. The former president submitted a formal request for the absolute invalidation of the operation, insisting, as reported by the Peruvian newspaper La Repubblica, citing Europa Press: “I declare my innocence and request the absolute invalidation of the operation due to lack of impartiality.” These statements reflect the position of the defense, which defended throughout the trial the presence of irregularities and the lack of objectivity in the judicial outcome.
The same court that sentenced Castillo extended the sentences to other former ministers, with Europa Press reporting that the former Interior Minister, Willy Huerta, received the same sentence as the former president. Huerta faces a prison sentence of eleven years, five months and fifteen days, although his execution will depend on confirmation of the sentence by a higher court. Likewise, former Minister Anibal Torres was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison, a sentence that is also subject to judicial review. The Special Criminal Chamber’s assessment distinguished between degrees of participation: the court established that Torres played a secondary role compared to the others involved in the coup attempt.
Europe Press reported that the judicial decision left behind charges of abuse of power and serious disruption of public order, which are the reasons that prompted the Public Prosecutor’s Office to demand harsher penalties. According to the opinion, the focus on the accusation of conspiracy and rebellion responds to an assessment of the facts actually proven during the sessions. The resulting sentence, which represented less than a third of the years the public ministry had initially requested for Castillo, demonstrated a marked discrepancy between the financial situation and the court’s ruling.
The arrest warrant issued for Betsy Chavez adds to the legal and diplomatic complexity, as the former Prime Minister, a refugee under Mexican diplomatic protection, faces an extradition request in the context of growing bilateral tension between Peru and Mexico. As Europe Press reported, Chavez’s stay in the diplomatic mission has increased the challenges facing justice in Peru, which must now formulate his application in accordance with international asylum protocols.
Other members of Castillo’s government were also tried, although the penalties imposed varied depending on the responsibility attributed to the events of December 2022. Europa Press highlighted that the court determined the penalties based on the level of involvement of each accused, guided by a comprehensive review of the evidence presented at the hearings. The implementation of the sentences must still be subject to review by a higher court, which could change the immediate fate of Huerta and Torres.
Europa Press’s monitoring of the judicial process also identified the political polarization surrounding the case, including debate over the independence and transparency of Peru’s judicial system. Public debate in Peru gained strength after the ruling, raising questions from the defense and social sectors about the legitimacy of decisions made by the justice system.
The photos published by the agency show the expressions of the defendants and demonstrations of support and social rejection after the verdict was announced. While Castillo remains in pretrial detention awaiting final confirmation of the sentence, the process against Betsy Chavez is receiving media and diplomatic focus due to the protection she receives in Mexico, forcing the Peruvian authorities to confront the complexities associated with voicing their demands on the international stage.
The judicial case arising from the events of 2022 remains the subject of political and legal controversy, fueling internal divisions over the interpretation of the events and international disputes related to extradition and asylum cooperation. Europe Press stressed that the continuity of the proceedings and the final outcome of the appeals will directly affect the institutional and diplomatic dynamics in Peru in the coming months.